Corona aids - False information on coronavirus commuter allowances for foreigners
Foreign employees in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are suspected of unfairly receiving commuter subsidies from the state during the Corona-Pandemic. During inquiries of the German registration office, it was found that many of the alleged commuters were not commuters at all, but had their residence in Germany. This is evident from the recently published annual report 2024 of the State Audit Office.
Many alleged commuters were not commuters
The State Audit Office examined, according to its own statements, the use and billing of commuter subsidies in 23 companies in MV. These companies had received approximately 1.8 million Euro for 758 foreign employees - about 20 percent of the total subsidies paid out by the state from the program. The result: "The payment of commuter subsidies to foreign employees in MV during the Corona-Pandemic was not justified in more than half of the audited employers."
The Land granted 65 Euro per day to each foreign professional in MV and 20 Euro to each family member. Higher costs for those affected were supposed to be offset if they could not commute between home and their workplace across the border due to Corona restrictions and had to stay in MV.
False declarations about place of residence
However, according to the State Audit Office, around one fifth of the 541 audited foreign employees in the 23 companies had concealed in their statements that they had been living with their families in Germany for years. "These employees received 353,000 Euro at the expense of the Land," write the auditors.
The Land must recover overpaid aid
The State Audit Office considers the recovery of unjustified aid payments by the approval authority to be urgent. "They will also have to examine in detail whether false declarations about the commuter status constitute suspicion of subsidy fraud."
The discovery of false commuter declarations by foreign employees in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania led to concerns about government finance mismanagement during the Coronavirus pandemic. The German registration office uncovered that many of these 'commuters' were actually residing in Germany, leading to an investigation by the State Audit Office.
The State Audit Office examined 23 companies in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern that received commuter subsidies, finding that over half of the payments made to foreign employees were not justified. The German government had granted each foreign professional 65 Euro per day, with 20 Euro for each family member, intended to offset higher costs due to Corona restrictions.
In their annual report 2024, the State Audit Office revealed that approximately 20% of the 541 audited foreign employees had made false declarations about their place of residence, potentially leading to over 353,000 Euro unjustifiably paid to them. To rectify this situation, the State Audit Office has urged the approval authority to recover the overpaid aid and investigate potential subsidy fraud.
The misuse of commuter subsidies during the Corona-Pandemic in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has raised concerns for international observers, highlighting the importance of financial accountability in times of crisis.
