Thread: $290,000 Speeding Ticket

Swiss millionaire fined $290,000 for speeding

Court bases record-breaking fine on man's wealth of over $20 million

updated 41 minutes ago

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland - A Swiss court has slapped a wealthy speeder with a chalet-sized fine — a full $290,000.

Judges at the cantonal court in St. Gallen, in eastern Switzerland, based the record-breaking fine on the speeder's estimated wealth of more than $20 million.

A statement on the court's Web site says the driver — a repeat offender — drove up to 35 miles an hour faster than the 50-mile-an-hour limit.

Court clerk Heidi Baumann-Becker said Thursday the unidentified driver can appeal the decision, handed down in November, to the Swiss supreme court.

The Blick daily newspaper in Zurich reported the fine was more than twice the previous Swiss record of about $107,000.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34752334/ns ... eird_news/

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Jan 07, 2010

Swiss speeder fined a record $290,000

08:26 PM

A Swiss court has fined a multimillionaire a record $290,000 for speeding through a village at 85 m.p.h in his red Ferrari Testarossa, news outlets in Switzerland report.

The fine is based on the unidentified speeder's wealth and his previous fast offenses. Swiss voters approved a penalty system that replaces prison for such crimes as speeding with "day fines" based on wealth — in this case $22.7 million.

The fine is more than double the previous record, doled out to a Porsche driver in Zürich in 2008. Half must be paid up front, and the rest is linked to good behavior during a two-year suspended sentence.

"The accused ignored elementary traffic rules with a powerful vehicle out of a pure desire for speed," the court said.

The speed limit in the in St Gallen, eastern Switzerland, was 35 m.p.h.

Swiss media reported that the man owns a villa with five luxury cars, including the Ferrari. The U.K. Guardian says the speeder initially refused to appear in court, claiming that he was a diplomat from Guinea-Bissau and entitled to immunity and that his diplomatic plates had fallen off the car.

The court rejected both claims.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... rd-290000/