A 31-year-old top Ethiopian runner who claimed Swiss state benefits even though he had won thousands of francs in prize money has been told he must leave Switzerland for five years as a punishment.
The runner, who hasn’t been named, had received more than 50,000 francs in emergency assistance benefits between 2013 and 2020. He was charged with benefit fraud when police discovered around 50,000 francs in cash in a backpack, money that he’d won in mountain and urban running competitions.
The man claimed that he didn’t know that he was committing a crime by claiming benefits when he had other assets as he hadn’t understood the documentation he was given. The Supreme Court didn’t accept this defence.
The runner had fled conflict in north-western Ethiopia in 2013 but had been denied asylum in 2015 when Swiss authorities deemed it was safe for him to return to his homeland. However, he remained in Switzerland in spite of his failed asylum status.
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