One of Switzerland’s richest men has been hit with a staggering speeding penalty of $110,000 for driving just 17mph over the limit.
The millionaire motorist, and repeat offender, was caught on camera hurtling along a Lausanne street at 48mph in a 31mph zone.
But under Swiss law, the faster you are – and the richer you are – the pricier the fine gets. Which is why the wealthy man may have to fork out $110,000 – or £80,000.
The French-born tycoon, whose fortune runs into the hundreds of millions according to Swiss financial weekly Bilan, was clocked in August 2024 by an automated speed camera.
Prosecutors wasted no time calculating his punishment, with the fine based not only on the severity of the offence, but also on his income, assets and lavish lifestyle.
Under the penal code in the canton of Vaud, speeding fines for the super-wealthy can soar into six figures.
While poorer offenders might swap their fine for a night behind bars, the Alpine elite can find themselves paying enough to buy a small chalet.
In this case, the court ordered him to pay £8,800 immediately and warned a further £73,000 could be added if he is caught speeding again in the next three years.
The millionaire motorist, and repeat offender, was caught on camera hurtling along a Lausanne street at 48mph in a 31mph zone
A vehicle passes in front of a sign of the Vaud Cantonal Police indicating the number of driving licences withdrawn for speeding in the construction zone on the A1 motorway between Lausanne and Yverdon, Switzerland
The man did not contest the decision, which was handed down in June.
However, this is not the tycoon’s first brush with the speed camera. Eight years ago, he was fined £9,000 and faced a suspended penalty of £55,000 if he reoffended within two years.
Despite the steep fine from the August incident, this is not regarded as Switzerland’s priciest speeding ticket.
In 2010, a millionaire Ferrari driver in St. Gallen was fined a jaw-dropping £267,000 for a similar offence.
The law was toughened after voters backed reforms to stop wealthy drivers getting away with what safety groups called ‘pocket change’ penalties.
Germany, France, Austria and the Nordic nations all operate similar wealth-based systems.
And it’s not just civilians who get caught. In 2016, a Swiss police officer was fined after tearing through Geneva streets at almost double the speed limit while chasing bank robbers.
