White-collar crime Zurich court opens verdict in Elvetino case on October 25
Whether or not a former head of the railroad catering company Elvetino will be behind bars will be revealed on October 25. The Zurich District Court concluded the two-day trial on Thursday evening and retired to deliberate on the verdict.
05.09.2024, 09:42
05.09.2024, 19:28
SDA
The public prosecutor accused the former Elvetino boss of, among other things, mismanagement, embezzlement and fraud. The now 68-year-old is said to have made generous use of the company's coffers.
He is also alleged to have hired a friend as a consultant and received 20 percent of the agreed daily fee of CHF 1,500 back from him as reimbursement. And through the company of another good colleague, he is alleged to have imported catering articles from China and sold them to Elvetino AG at inflated prices.
In his plea, the public prosecutor demanded that the former Elvetino CEO be sentenced to three years and eight months in prison. For his two business associates - the 78-year-old consultant and the 68-year-old importer - the prosecution demanded conditional sentences of 24 and 18 months for aiding and abetting.
Accused see no damage
The three defendants, on the other hand, demanded acquittals in relation to the allegations concerning Elvetino. One of the two defense lawyers for the former CEO stated that no damage had been caused to the company.
For example, the use of an external consultant by Elevtino AG, which was criticized by the public prosecutor, had not caused any unnecessary expenses. Thanks to this, savings could have been achieved in merchandise management. A daily fee of CHF 2,500 was not unusual for a consultant. The defense lawyers for the co-defendants also pointed out in their pleas, which lasted several hours, that their clients were not guilty of anything.
The public prosecutor had already described these statements by the defense attorneys as "obfuscation tactics" before their pleas. The results of the investigation were clear. It was a story of businessmen who had done business with each other and shared profits.
