Corona aid wrongly collected? Searches
A lawyer and an accountant in Berlin are alleged to have applied for coronavirus aid amounting to seven million euros on behalf of entrepreneurs and tradespeople using false information. Of this, 3.5 million euros were paid out, the public prosecutor's office announced on Thursday. As part of the investigation, 22 properties in Berlin were searched on Wednesday, mainly in Steglitz and Schöneberg. The approximately 100 police officers and investigators involved took computers, cell phones and written documents.
The 43-year-old lawyer and the 64-year-old accountant, who are accused of subsidy fraud, are at large. The Corona Investigation Group of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office assumes that the two suspects misrepresented the financial situation of the businessmen during the Corona pandemic in their applications without their knowledge. The funds were applied for from Investitionsbank Berlin and the Federal Ministry of Economics.
Despite the ongoing investigations into the Corona aid fraud case, there's been no arrest of the 43-year-old lawyer and the 64-year-old accountant involved. Misuse of funds extended beyond just the Investitionsbank Berlin, as it was also revealed that they manipulated financial data provided to the Federal Ministry of Economics during the Corona crisis.
Source: www.dpa.com
