Lucerne Public Prosecutor's Office investigates Granit Xhaka over possible forged Covid certificates

What the Public Prosecutor's Office is examining

The investigation will determine whether Xhaka may have obtained a forged or fraudulently obtained Covid certificate in a criminally relevant manner. The Public Prosecutor's Office declined to comment on the specific facts of the case and provided no further details about possible background or the scope of the investigation.

The proceedings are part of a series of investigations conducted in Switzerland in recent years surrounding allegedly forged or unlawfully issued Covid certificates. In several cantons, authorities had pursued forgeries and cases of fraudulent procurement, and in individual cases had also conducted criminal proceedings against private individuals.

Granit Xhaka is a well-known sports personality in Switzerland and regularly plays for the Swiss national team. The case is attracting attention beyond sports reporting because it concerns a public figure and raises questions about the handling of health documents.

Possible consequences

Should the suspicion be confirmed, the relevant criminal provisions of the Swiss Criminal Code could apply. The offence of document forgery and obtaining a false certification by deception provide for fines or, in more serious cases, custodial sentences of up to several years.

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the investigation is ongoing and has not been concluded. The authority did not indicate when initial results or a possible indictment could be expected. Xhaka himself has so far not publicly commented on the allegations.

Open questions and next steps

According to current information, there is also no direct connection to the ongoing proceedings against Xhaka at SBB and Migros, both of which have also faced criticism in recent years in connection with Covid certificate checks. Neither company has commented on the case.

Should the Public Prosecutor's Office bring charges, a Swiss court would deal with the case. Until a legally binding judgment is reached, the presumption of innocence applies. As long as the proceedings are ongoing, no definitive statements on guilt or the facts of the case are possible.

The development is being closely followed by the Swiss sporting public. Xhaka's ongoing commitments as a player and national team player are not directly affected by the investigation, but depending on the course of the inquiry they could raise questions under sports or disciplinary law.