Khaberni - The Italian authorities have unveiled an unconventional fraud case involving an elderly man, aged seventy, who claimed to have been completely blind for over fifty years while, in fact, he was engaging in activities requiring clear vision.
The Vicenza police reported that the man had been receiving benefits and financial aid intended for the blind, totaling more than one million euros.
However, investigations conducted by the Financial Police in Artegianiano showed that the man was seen pruning plants using scissors and bush trimming tools, and he was also carefully picking out fruits at markets, and withdrawing and paying cash from his wallet accurately, in a scene that completely contradicts his claim of being blind.
The operation began after comparing the data of social aid beneficiaries with tax databases, which aroused suspicions about the suspect.
During two months of field surveillance and filming, the authorities were able to document his daily actions, proving that he enjoyed normal vision, and it turned out that he had been receiving pensions and allowances for complete visual impairment since 1972.
The Financial Police in Vicenza referred the case to the public prosecutor's office on charges of fraud against the state, and the investigation concluded with the accused being ordered to pay taxes estimated at more than 200,000 euros representing the illicit profits gained over the past five years, the period that can legally be reviewed for taxation purposes.
