Four managers of construction companies in the North have been indicted for fraud, suspected of having made dozens of customers believe that their work was eligible for state aid, the Lille prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday October 18. .
The judicial police of the North arrested on October 12 the leaders of the companies “France Comfort Habitat», «Renovio», «Home Innovation” and “Eco Renew“in the context of a judicial investigation for”organized gang fraud committed in the context of a commercial activity on renewable energies“, said the prosecution in a press release.
“Fraud to harm”
They are suspected of having usedfraudulent maneuvers“to convince individuals to subscribe”contracts for renovation, insulation, supply of heating equipment (…) or roof repairs“, in “falsely claiming they were eligible for state aid“. The facts began in March 2014, indicates the prosecution, specifying that 74 complainants have been identified “at the current stage of investigations“. Some of these companies are already closed.
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According to the judicial police, the damage amounts to 1.4 million euros for these 74 victims. “The investigators brought to light an elaborate system of fraud against vulnerable people forced to take out loans from credit institutions to finance work that was never carried out or poorly carried out.“, according to the PJ. Two of the indicted leaders were placed in pre-trial detention, the other two under judicial supervision. They face 10 years in prison and a fine of one million euros.
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