Legal expert expects conditional fine for Xhaka over fake Covid certificate

Swiss prosecutors are investigating national team captain Granit Xhaka over a fake Covid vaccination certificate, and he has admitted obtaining it, SRF reported. Criminal law lecturer Sven Zimmerlin said the case would probably end with a conditional fine if Xhaka is convicted.

The investigation concerns possible document forgery and whether Xhaka obtained a false document by deception. Zimmerlin, a lecturer in criminal and criminal procedure law at Zurich University of Applied Sciences, said the offences differ depending on whether the document was issued by someone other than the person named as its issuer or whether the named issuer issued it with false information.

Document forgery is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine. Zimmerlin said the offence requires intent: Xhaka would have had to know what he was doing and intend to obtain an unlawful advantage or harm others’ rights.

Assuming Xhaka has no previous convictions and the case does not involve a serious violent crime, Zimmerlin said a conditional fine was the likely outcome. The prosecutor or court will make the final decision.