Fraud scheme in Switzerland/ Albanian with 120 luxury vehicles, damage of around 1.5 million francs

2026-02-03 22:48:00, Kronika CNA

Fraud scheme in Switzerland/ Albanian with 120 luxury vehicles, damage of around

A vast financial fraud scheme in Switzerland has reached its epilogue at the Dietikon Court, near Zurich, where a 57-year-old from Kosovo, known as "sheh", was sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison and banned from entering Switzerland for three years.

According to authorities, he had built a luxurious life by defrauding banks and the Swiss state, causing a loss of around 1.5 million francs.

The convicted man claimed to lead around 8,000 dervish followers and had involved his entire family of six, as well as two accomplices, in his criminal activities. The investigation began after a raid on a luxury villa near Zurich, for which he paid a monthly rent of 24,000 francs.

The prosecution announced that the sheikh had created a network of fictitious companies, posing as a real estate developer and presenting false balance sheets. Through these frauds, he had also benefited from over half a million francs in Covid-19 emergency loans. During the operation, investigators confiscated documents and electronic equipment; a complex system of fictitious companies that served as a cover for illegal enrichment was also discovered.

While declaring poverty before state institutions, the family had a fleet of around 120 luxury vehicles. Among them were a Porsche Panamera, several Mercedes models and a Hummer H2 Luxury, while around 100 thousand francs were spent just on purchasing special license plates with unique numbers, which in Switzerland are sold at auctions as symbols of prestige.

The court sentenced the main defendant to 42 months in prison and mandatory deportation from Switzerland for three years, while acquitting his ex-wife and four children or imposing minimal fines. According to the court, the family operated under a strong patriarchal structure, where financial decisions were made solely by the head of the family.

During the trial, the sheikh apologized, stating that he had used his family members as a cover for his activities to preserve his image as a religious leader. The court assessed that previous convictions had not influenced the change in his behavior, while one of the aides was given a suspended sentence and the verdict is pending for the other./Tages-Anzeiger