Swiss Man Fined Rs 97 Lakh For Speeding. But He Can Afford It
Why the eye-popping penalty? Because the speedster, a repeat offender, is one of Switzerland's wealthiest people, and the Vaud canton, or region, serves up fines based on factors like income, fortune or general family financial situation.
The Swiss are not alone. Germany, France, Austria and the Nordic countries all issue punishments based on a person's wealth. The recent fine isn't even a record in Switzerland. In 2010, a millionaire Ferrari driver got a ticket equal to about $290,000 for speeding in the eastern canton of St. Gallen.
Back then, the Swiss safety group Road Cross said rich drivers had been lightly punished until voters approved a penal law overhaul three years earlier that let judges hand down fines based on personal income and wealth for misdemeanors like speeding and drunk driving.
Under today's rules, an indigent person might spend a night in jail instead of a fine, while the wealthiest in the rich Alpine country could be on the hook for tens of thousands.
A court in the Swiss canton of Vaud recently ruled that the tycoon must pay 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,300) up front and could be forced to pay the rest - 80,000 more - if he's caught for a similar roadway infraction over the next three years.
Switzerland's "24 Heures" newspaper first reported the case and said the man, who was not identified, was a French citizen listed by Swiss economic weekly Bilan among the 300 richest people in Switzerland - with a fortune in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The daily reported that an automated police radar photographed the offender driving at 77 kilometers per hour (48 mph) in a 50 kph (31 mph) zone on a Lausanne street. A quick-calculating prosecutor tallied the maximum fine the driver faced under the law, the report said.
Vincent Derouand, a spokesperson for the Vaud public prosecutors office, said the defendant didn't contest the decision, which was handed down in June for the infraction nearly a year ago - in August 2024.
The Vaud criminal code sets a maximum financial penalty based on the "personal and economic situation of the offender at the time of the ruling" - notably taking into account issues like income, fortune, lifestyle and family financial needs.
The newspaper reported that he had already been caught for a similar speeding infraction eight years ago, and also paid 10,000 Swiss francs in penalty and faced another 60,000 if another infraction had taken place within the following two years.
In Switzerland, penalties for speeding can even catch up with the cops: One officer was fined for racing at nearly twice the speed limit through Geneva streets back in 2016 while chasing thieves who had blown up a bank teller machine.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
11 hours ago
- NDTV
Swiss Man Fined Rs 97 Lakh For Speeding. But He Can Afford It
The driver was clocked going 27 kilometres per hour (17 mph) over the speed limit on a street in the Swiss city of Lausanne, and now he's facing up to 90,000 Swiss francs (over $110,000) in fines as a result. But he can afford it. Why the eye-popping penalty? Because the speedster, a repeat offender, is one of Switzerland's wealthiest people, and the Vaud canton, or region, serves up fines based on factors like income, fortune or general family financial situation. The Swiss are not alone. Germany, France, Austria and the Nordic countries all issue punishments based on a person's wealth. The recent fine isn't even a record in Switzerland. In 2010, a millionaire Ferrari driver got a ticket equal to about $290,000 for speeding in the eastern canton of St. Gallen. Back then, the Swiss safety group Road Cross said rich drivers had been lightly punished until voters approved a penal law overhaul three years earlier that let judges hand down fines based on personal income and wealth for misdemeanors like speeding and drunk driving. Under today's rules, an indigent person might spend a night in jail instead of a fine, while the wealthiest in the rich Alpine country could be on the hook for tens of thousands. A court in the Swiss canton of Vaud recently ruled that the tycoon must pay 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,300) up front and could be forced to pay the rest - 80,000 more - if he's caught for a similar roadway infraction over the next three years. Switzerland's "24 Heures" newspaper first reported the case and said the man, who was not identified, was a French citizen listed by Swiss economic weekly Bilan among the 300 richest people in Switzerland - with a fortune in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The daily reported that an automated police radar photographed the offender driving at 77 kilometers per hour (48 mph) in a 50 kph (31 mph) zone on a Lausanne street. A quick-calculating prosecutor tallied the maximum fine the driver faced under the law, the report said. Vincent Derouand, a spokesperson for the Vaud public prosecutors office, said the defendant didn't contest the decision, which was handed down in June for the infraction nearly a year ago - in August 2024. The Vaud criminal code sets a maximum financial penalty based on the "personal and economic situation of the offender at the time of the ruling" - notably taking into account issues like income, fortune, lifestyle and family financial needs. The newspaper reported that he had already been caught for a similar speeding infraction eight years ago, and also paid 10,000 Swiss francs in penalty and faced another 60,000 if another infraction had taken place within the following two years. In Switzerland, penalties for speeding can even catch up with the cops: One officer was fined for racing at nearly twice the speed limit through Geneva streets back in 2016 while chasing thieves who had blown up a bank teller machine.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Moroccan man lights cigarette from Paris' Eternal Flame, faces suspended sentence and deportation.
/ Aug 12, 2025, 10:25PM IST A 47-year-old Moroccan man is at the center of national outrage in France after a viral video showed him using the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe to light a cigarette. The flame, a powerful symbol honoring fallen WWI soldiers since 1923, was disrespected in what many have labeled a shameful act. Condemned by officials as 'unworthy,' the man received a three-month suspended sentence and had his residency permit revoked. He now faces potential deportation, as widespread public backlash frames the act as a serious affront to French history and honor.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Was Rolex founder a Nazi spy? Newly declassified British Intelligence files allege links to the Hitler regime
MI5, the security service responsible for protecting the UK against threats to national security, once suspected that Hans Wilsdorf , the German-born founder of the iconic Rolex luxury watch empire, held strong Nazi sympathies and possibly acted as a spy during the Second World War, according to the revelations made by secret British intelligence files. According to a Telegraph report, the declassified records termed Wilsdorf as 'most objectionable' and alleged that he may have used his position to spread propaganda for Adolf Hitler 's regime. The documents are held at the National Archives. They were written between 1941 and 1943, and many were stamped with 'Box 500.' It was a wartime nickname for MI5's headquarters, highlighting fears among British authorities that Wilsdorf posed a security risk despite being a naturalized British citizen. Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass Batch-1 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 2 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 3 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals By Vaibhav Sisinity View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 4 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Hans Wilsdorf: Personal life and Nazi allegations Wilsdorf was born in Bavaria in 1881. He began making watches in Hatton Garden after moving to London in 1903. Later, he founded Rolex. He married Florence Crotty, a British woman, and then moved the company's headquarters to Geneva in 1919. According to The Telegraph, British officials had become increasingly wary of Wilsdorf's loyalties by the early 1940s. Live Events According to a 1941 report from the British consul in Geneva, he was 'well known for his strong Nazi sympathies.' The report also emphasized that his brother, Karl, was working in Joseph Goebbels' propaganda ministry. Swiss federal police were already surveilling Wilsdorf due to concerns he might be spreading Nazi propaganda globally. A 1943 MI5 report revealed that the agency monitored Rolex's British operations in Bexleyheath and suspected Wilsdorf of 'espionage on behalf of the enemy.' The documents frequently described him as 'well known' for his political sympathies toward the Nazi regime. Rolex acknowledges the archive file The documents have been acknowledged by the Swiss watchmaker, stating that it is taking the allegations seriously. Speaking to the Telegraph, a company spokesperson said that an independent review is underway, led by Swiss historian Dr. Marc Perrenoud, who specializes in Switzerland's role during World War II. Perrenoud has assembled a committee of historians from multiple countries to assist with the research. 'In the interest of transparency, we will publish Dr. Perrenoud's findings once he has completed his work,' the spokesperson told The Telegraph. M15's report throws light on Wilsdorf's wartime gestures The M15 report also raised questions about the true motive behind one of Wilsdorf's most celebrated wartime gestures: sending free Rolex watches to British prisoners of war during World War II. After German officers seized watches from captured servicemen, Cpl. Clive Nutting, held at the notorious Stalag Luft III camp in Poland in 1940, wrote to Wilsdorf requesting replacements. Wilsdorf agreed and told Nutting not to worry about payment until after the war, also sending food parcels and tobacco to some prisoners. While this act helped boost Rolex's public image, British officials at the time questioned whether it was genuine kindness or a calculated effort to gain favor. What did Jose Pereztroika, who discovered the MI5 file, say about the documents Jose Pereztroika, a historian of watchmaking who discovered the MI5 file and reached out to the Telegraph, believes the evidence supports the view that Wilsdorf sympathized with the Nazis. He argued that the company's gifts to Allied prisoners might be 'a stunt to gain favor with the British government' at a time when Swiss watch imports to the UK were largely banned. By 1943, MI5 decided against blacklisting Wilsdorf due to a lack of evidence suggesting harmful activity by the Swiss company. The agency, however, maintained he was 'most objectionable.'
