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Koblenz (dpa / lrs) - More than 100 police officers raided northern Rhineland-Palatinate on Thursday morning because of suspected subsidy fraud with Corona emergency aid.
They searched 19 objects, mainly apartments, for example in villages in the Westerwald and in Koblenz, as reported by the public prosecutor's office and the police in the Rhine-Moselle city and the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) Rhineland-Palatinate in Mainz.
13 Bulgarians and 7 Bulgarians between the ages of 30 and 67 are being investigated for subsidy fraud in spring 2020 or for inciting them to do so.
In 14 cases, 9,000 euros were paid out, making a total of 126,000 euros.
A 36-year-old accused is said to have submitted or instigated applications for Corona emergency aid to the Investment and Structure Bank (ISB) Rhineland-Palatinate for himself and the alleged accomplices.
According to the information, he is said to have given co-defendants e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.
In several applications, recipient accounts with access to the 36-year-old accused are said to have been given.
The other 19 accused are said to have entered incorrect or incomplete information in their applications.
Numerous businesses are said to have been bogus, business registrations backdated and applications for corona aid made despite other income from wages.
Money laundering reports from financial institutions and criminal charges from the ISB had triggered the investigation, according to the public prosecutor's office, the police and the LKA.
During the raid, the officers secured “extensive evidence” such as cell phones and financial documents.
As a "provisional asset-skimming measure", they confiscated cash and attached accounts.
They arrested the 36-year-old because of the risk of escape and blackout.
According to the information, the evaluation of the evidence should take “some time”.