Public Prosecutor's Office Hanover - Alleged millions fraud with Corona-tests - Indictment
The public prosecutor's office in Hannover has charged a 35-year-old man with alleged million-dollar fraud involving Corona tests. The man is accused of committing fraud in 24 cases, according to a spokesperson for the public prosecutor.
He is said to have attempted to charge for supposed antigen rapid tests worth a total of around 21 million Euro at his testing centers. The damage caused is estimated to be nearly 6.9 million Euro. Previously, the "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung" reported on this.
The 35-year-old has reportedly been in custody in Germany since January. He was arrested in South America with an international arrest warrant. He allegedly fled to Paraguay when the fraud scheme was discovered. There, he filed appeals against deportation. However, he was extradited in January, according to the spokesperson.
The case is with the Landgericht Hannover
The 35-year-old is said to have registered 23 testing stations in Hanover and the surrounding area of the state capital, but only opened 9 of them in reality, explained the spokesperson. There, he is said to have falsely invoiced for hundreds of thousands of Corona tests between July 2021 and February 2023. The case is now with the Landgericht Hannover.
During the Corona pandemic, there were numerous testing centers for so-called civic tests nationwide. The Federal Office for Social Security reportedly paid the operators of such testing centers 12.50 Euro per test in 2021 and 2022, later 11.50 Euro.
This attracted fraudsters as well. The Bundeskriminalamt assumes that fraudsters illegally earned at least 1.2 billion Euro, wrote the newspaper.
- The alleged million-dollar fraud involving Corona tests is being handled by the Public Prosecutor's Office Hannover.
- The 35-year-old man is facing indictment at the Hannover Regional Court for his role in this Million-fraud.
- The Public Prosecutor's Office Hannover accuses the man of committing deception in 24 cases, resulting in million-dollar damage.
- The alleged deception took place predominantly in Lower Saxony, Germany, with the man registering 23 testing stations in Hannover and surrounding areas.
- The man is believed to have only opened 9 of these stations in reality, falsely invoicing for hundreds of thousands of Corona tests.
- This criminality during the Corona pandemic is not isolated to Hannover or Germany; South America, specifically Paraguay, has also been affected.
- The Hanover General Newspaper reported on this case, revealing that the 35-year-old had fled to Paraguay when the fraud scheme was discovered.
- The criminality in the Corona test sector has attracted fraudsters across Europe, causing significant losses to public health systems and resulting in at least 1.2 billion Euro in illegal earnings, according to the Bundeskriminalamt.
