Suspected fraud: 15 arrests in the case of the repair bonus

Suspected fraud: 15 arrests in the case of the repair bonus

The repair bonus, a program to support repairs, is the focus of a sensational fraud. This week the State Criminal Police Office Vienna, on behalf of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (Eusta), arrested 15 people in the cities of Vienna and Graz and carried out 37 searches in the area. It is believed that criminal organizations have tried to enrich themselves with fake bills of over 3.5 million euros from this program, although there have been no complete payouts.

According to the investigation, the suspects have registered both existing and fictional companies as a partner for the repair bonus. This procedure enabled them to submit reimbursement applications for so -called repairs that were actually never carried out. After confirming these partner companies, they submitted thousands of applications for subsidies.

In the case of house searches, over 230 police officers were deployed, which underlines the seriousness of the situation. Two of the suspects suffered minor injuries after trying to defend themselves in their apartments during the search. They are said to have feared that it was an attempt to break in.

The Eusta leads an extensive procedure to clarify the background and structures of the attempted fraud. For more information and Details on the individual incidents, the article by Elektro.at