A former officer of the Vaud cantonal police force was convicted on appeal for an unusual fact: he had driven “by eye” for years at the wheel of a Tesla worth 120,000 francs. The man has since lost his job. And if he had been acquitted in April by the Lausanne courts, the Court of Criminal Appeal of the canton of Vaud has just ruled against him: convicted for accepting an advantage.
This man, a former inspector, ultimately received a 120-day suspended fine, reports “24 Heures”.
In 2016, this police officer approached the boss of the multinational Sicpa. Who had agreed to finance the leasing of the luxurious car for him. He then drove this Tesla for five years. But this arrangement was discovered in 2021 and his employer fired him.
During the first hearing, in Lausanne, the district court admitted “that a degraded mental state” of the police officer at the time of the events explained his actions, explains the Vaudois daily. During an episode of psychological decompensation, the man ordered the Tesla before turning to the rich boss to sort out his affairs.
But on appeal, this argument was not enough. This time it was considered that even if the former police officer has since paid for the Tesla, he had at the time benefited from an undue gift. And even if no consideration in favor of its benefactor has been noted, and it is therefore not a question of corruption, the acceptance of an advantage has indeed taken place.
120 day fine, 30 francs suspended for two years, so in the end. The RTS specifies that an appeal to the Federal Court remains possible.
