Federal Court Geneva lawyer finally sentenced for forgery of documents

The sentence of Geneva lawyer Thierry Ador to twelve months' probation is final. The Federal Supreme Court rejects his appeal. He had committed forgery by entering false information in official rental contract forms.

In a ruling published on Friday, the Second Criminal Division confirmed the decision of the Court of Justice of the Canton of Geneva. It was right to assume that he was guilty of a serious offense: Accordingly, the convicted man acted out of pure greed for profit, even though he was in a comfortable financial situation. He behaved indifferently and even contemptuously towards the tenants he defrauded.

The judges also emphasized the duration of the criminal period - more than 8 years - and the repeated and systematic actions of the complainant. Finally, his cooperation with the justice system had deteriorated rapidly, indicating an almost complete lack of insight.

Appropriate sentence

Under these circumstances, the imposition of a custodial sentence - instead of daily rates - seems appropriate. The Geneva judiciary was of the opinion that a fine would not be sufficient to prevent the lawyer from reoffending while he was still active in real estate management. This choice was not unlawful, the Federal Supreme Court concluded.

Thierry Ador worked with a property management company to manage and rent out two buildings in Morges and Lausanne between 2009 and 2017. When drawing up ten new rental agreements, he provided the property management company with incorrect amounts relating to the old rents and fictitious names of former tenants.

This information was entered by the property management company on the official form for the new tenant. This allowed a massive rent increase to be concealed and avoided.(Judgment 7B_444/2023 of July 16, 2024)