Zurich: district court rejects 36-month agreement in 3.2 million fraud at Technopark, demanding at least five years

The Zurich district court marked a significant stop in the Technopark Immobilien AG fraud case. In a decision issued on 24 August 2026, Judge Reto Nuotclà refused to endorse the plea‑bargain agreement that provided for a 36‑month prison sentence, including seven months in custody, for a 43‑year‑old former project manager accused of diverting about 3.2 million Swiss francs between 2018 and 2021.

A plea‑bargain agreement set aside

The Public Prosecutor's Office III for economic offences and the defence had agreed, before the abbreviated procedure hearing, on a 36‑month sentence, including seven months already served in pre‑trial detention (December 2021 – March 2022) and 29 months suspended for two years. This proposal, the result of classic negotiations within an accelerated procedure, was rejected by the court.

According to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Judge Nuotclà said he could not see “how one can arrive at only three years of prison in this case”, adding that “for comparable offences, the sentence is at least five years”. The case was referred back to the public prosecutor for a new sentencing assessment, opening the way to an ordinary trial or a new, harsher sanction proposal.

A 3.2‑million fraud over three years

The accused, a 43‑year‑old Swiss, had worked for Technopark Immobilien AG since 2014 as a construction project manager. In 2017, at his request, his employment contract was converted into a contractual relationship, while retaining an office within the company. In this capacity he is alleged to have, between 2018 and 2021, submitted inflated invoices for construction and operating projects, causing an estimated damage of 3.2 million Swiss francs.

The 42‑page indictment accuses him not only of professional fraud, but also of multiple forgeries of titles, money laundering and violations of the weapons law. The man admitted all the facts charged against him.

Fleeing, forged documents and re‑arrest

After his release in March 2022, the defendant obtained forged identity documents and fled abroad. He used no fewer than nine false identities, including a counterfeit Austrian diplomatic passport, as well as German, Austrian and Ukrainian documents. He was re‑arrested in Innsbruck, Austria, in October 2024, before being extradited to Switzerland.

This flight episode, accompanied by the massive use of forged official papers, considerably complicates the case and partly explains the court’s severity. The combination of financial fraud, forged documents and weapons‑law violations places the case in a category that the judge considers to merit a minimum sentence of five years.

The case referred back to the public prosecutor

The referral of the case to the public prosecutor for “new drafting” means that the prosecution must now either propose a heavier sentence within a new abbreviated procedure, or request an ordinary trial before the court. In both cases, the scope for a lenient sanction has been considerably reduced.

This decision comes at a time when Swiss justice is facing heightened scrutiny over the handling of large‑scale economic offences and cases involving financial crime and serious criminal code violations. The signal sent by the Zurich district court could influence the practice of plea‑bargain agreements in complex cases involving significant amounts and multiple aggravating circumstances.

Key elements of the Technopark Immobilien AG fraud case

Element	Detail
Defendant	43‑year‑old Swiss, former construction project manager / contractor of Technopark Immobilien AG
Victim company	Technopark Immobilien AG
Alleged damage	3.2 million CHF
Alleged fraud period	2018–2021
Rejected agreed sentence	36 months, partially suspended (7 months in custody, 29 months suspended for 2 years)
Court benchmark	At least 5 years for comparable offences
Procedural outcome	Case referred to the public prosecutor for a new sentencing assessment
Fleeing after release	9 forged identity documents used; re‑arrested in Innsbruck in October 2024

Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung