A businessman in Tenerife has been sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to repay €137,000 for falsifying documents and committing fraud related to aid for staff training.
However, the ruling, issued by the Provincial Court of Tenerife, includes an agreement that the sentence will be suspended, meaning he will not serve prison time.
Reduced Sentence and Reimbursement Plan
The original prosecution demanded a five-year prison term and repayment of €600,000. However, a plea agreement reduced the sentence to two years and required the businessman to repay the €137,000 in monthly instalments of €300. The court also dropped claims against the now-defunct company involved.
Fraudulent Employment Aid Scheme
The fraud revolved around misrepresented training programmes aimed at promoting employment. The businessman’s company organised professional training courses for employees, taking advantage of social security subsidies.
The accused reported conducting 340 training activities to the State Foundation for Employment Training, nine of which were later annulled. Most of the courses were allegedly delivered remotely, involving 395 participants and over 14,000 hours of training, with a smaller number provided in mixed formats. The reported costs were inflated to nearly €189,000, including €162,000 for training services and €26,699 for organisation.
Fictitious Expenses and Mismanagement
Investigations revealed that the costs claimed were grossly exaggerated and did not reflect the actual activities conducted. Payments to trainers, social security contributions, and operational expenses were fabricated or overstated. In reality, the value of the training activities conducted was found to be just €5,400.
The businessman avoided prison due to the plea deal, but he is now required to repay the defrauded amount over time.
