The Confederation had made it clear that it was necessary to help companies and the self-employed as quickly as possible and therefore with less detailed controls than what is normally required due to lack of time. But people abusing this system were not going to get away with it so easily in the long run.
Between the beginning of May and the end of July, CHF 16.9 billion in federal aid (including CHF 4.7 billion for French-speaking Switzerland) was paid out to more than 136,000 companies and self-employed persons. Currently, more than 1850 verifications are underway, a third of which are in our French-speaking region. On the face of it, most of these audit files involve simple administrative errors. However, more than 630 criminal complaints have already been filed in the country according to these checks.
Money disappears
The Geneva Public Prosecutor's Office has opened 52 criminal proceedings since the end of May. Of these 52 cases, most concern companies and individuals who "lied about their turnover or used the loans for purposes other than those provided for by law. These offences are considered to be fraud, breach of trust or forgery of documents," says the Geneva judiciary. The latter also specifies that the financial loss was from a few thousand to several hundred thousand francs, depending on the case. To date, no convictions have been handed down in Geneva.
The Vaud Public Prosecutor's Office has 93 criminal investigations launched and 84 still pending. In the canton of Vaud, the case of an entrepreneur made headlines this summer. In particular, he was suspected of having transferred 1.5 million francs of federal credit abroad, and this company director was imprisoned. He is charged with breach of trust and fraud.
These alleged abuses currently concern only about 0.15% of the beneficiaries of federal aid, spread across all sectors of activity. "This percentage is very low, so the economic actors have been honest. It worked well, for measures that were quickly taken and poorly controlled at the beginning," notes Christian Wenger, director of Cautionnement romand, which is the body in charge of federal aid for the cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Valais and Fribourg. However, the official warns that those who may be reckless and want to circumvent the system are also aware of this: "The checks have only just begun."
Imprisonment for certain serious cases
Initially, the Confederation's Covid guarantee credits were released for cash-starved companies with the aim of covering their current expenses for a period of three months, the latter then had the possibility of receiving up to 10% of their annual turnover for a maximum of 500,000 francs. Payments were stopped at the end of July. In the event of proven fraud, the defendants risk up to 5 years in prison and a fine of 100,000 francs. While discussions have taken place at the Federal Palace on the advisability of a second batch of Covid financial aid, for the time being, Bern has not officially announced a renewal of the operation.
COVID Loan Alternative for Businesses
There are two ways to get business credit:
- Trade credit (SME), like a personal loan, will be financed by a bank.
- Participatory credit (or peer-to-peer lending). Will be engaged indirectly by individuals through a financing platform (such as neocredit.ch)
As with a personal loan, we need documentation before forwarding your application to the bank or partner concerned.
They then carry out an analysis of your creditworthiness, your entire file and issue a final decision.
The conditions for obtaining a business loan at Milenia are as follows:
- SMEs must be at least 4 years old
- Entry in the Commercial Register as a Public Limited Company (SA) or Limited Liability Company (SARL)
- Annual turnover of more than CHF 150,000
Are you interested in a business loan or would you like more information? Then call us on 021 620 60 00 or make your request in 3 minutes directly on our website.