Indictment by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland Ex-employee alleged to have defrauded SBB of five million francs
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has brought charges against a former SBB employee and four other persons. As the authorities announced on Friday, they are alleged to have defrauded SBB of over five million francs.
27.02.2026, 10:37
27.02.2026, 11:20
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- The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has charged a 54-year-old former SBB employee with commercial fraud amounting to millions.
- He is alleged to have submitted fictitious or overpriced invoices for years and collected around 4.4 million francs.
- Four other people have been charged with aiding and abetting, all of whom are presumed innocent.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland filed an indictment against a 54-year-old former SBB employee on February 24, 2026. As they announced on Friday, the former project and department manager is alleged to have systematically damaged the railroad company over a period of years.
According to the indictment, the accused developed a system together with co-participants as early as 2007 to falsify orders for materials or overcharge for them. The invoices were issued via specially founded companies so that the main accused did not appear directly. In most cases, the invoiced goods were not even delivered.
Nested cash flows
According to the Office of the Attorney General, the SBB payments initially flowed into the company accounts of co-defendants. After deduction of a "criminal's salary", the amounts were forwarded to the main accused via other companies and accounts. In some cases, he is also alleged to have forged signatures and manipulated documents in order to conceal increases in assets.
A fourth co-defendant is said to have created additional fictitious invoices in order to check the plausibility of the accounts. Here too, the money was transferred back to the main accused after deduction of a commission.
Damage in the millions
Between 2007 and 2024, SBB is said to have incurred losses of almost CHF 8.7 million. However, some of the alleged offenses are time-barred, which is why the criminally relevant amount is reduced to around five million francs.
The main defendant is accused of having personally enriched himself by around 4.4 million francs. Among other things, he is charged with commercial fraud, misconduct in public office, aggravated money laundering and multiple counts of forgery.
Four other people are facing charges of aiding and abetting fraud, misconduct in public office and, in some cases, aggravated money laundering. According to the indictment, their alleged profit shares range from around CHF 14,750 to over CHF 400,000.
With the filing of the indictment, the Federal Criminal Court now has jurisdiction. The presumption of innocence applies to all defendants until a final verdict is reached.
