Twenty francs offered to a ticket inspector, convicted of bribery

A 61-year-old Italian-speaking man living in Zurich has been convicted of bribery after offering twenty francs to a ticket inspector to avoid a fine. The case ended up before the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland.

The check took place on a Tuesday in May, at 14.54, on a train between the Schlieren and Hardbrücke stops. The passenger was travelling from Schlieren to Glattbrugg with a ticket valid for one zone fewer than his journey. As the inspector was filling in the penalty form, he suggested dropping the matter: "Come on, calm down and forget the form, go get a coffee," adding an offer of twenty francs.

The inspector, employed by the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund, refused and reported the incident. At Hardbrücke station the passenger shouted at the staff: "You are a mafia organisation."

Why the federal authorities handle it

Public transport inspectors carry out a delegated public duty and, under the criminal code, count as persons exercising an official function. Offering them an advantage to obtain an act contrary to their duties amounts to active bribery, an offence within federal jurisdiction. The difference from a simple fare-dodging penalty is therefore substantial.

The sentence is thirty daily units of 120 francs, suspended with a two-year probation period, worth 3,600 francs. On top come 500 francs in procedural costs. The original fine for the invalid ticket would have been 50 to 100 francs.

Cases like this remain rare without being exceptional. Transport companies instruct staff to refuse any offer and to document the episode, precisely because reporting it is the only way to keep the act from passing without consequence.