A MULTI-millionaire driver has been fined a staggering £82,000 for going over the speed limit – by just 17mph.
The eye-watering fine was slapped on the French man in Switzerland as part of a system which charges law-breaking motorists according to their income.
A driver was fined £82,000 for going 17mph over the speed limit[/caption]
The driver, who has lived in the country for two decades, was caught doing 48mph in a 31mph zone in Lausanne earlier this month.
The fining system, which calculates charges based on things like income, fortune, and general family financial system, operates in the Vaud region where the man was caught.
The Vaud criminal code says it sets a maximum financial penalty based on the “personal and economic situation of the offender at the time of the ruling”.
A source said: “He was sent a penalty notice after the authorities established that he was one of the richest men in Switzerland.
“A court considered his financial resources, in particular taking into account his income and wealth, and his lifestyle.”
The prosecutor calculated the fine while taking into account that the unnamed driver was a repeat offender.
In Britain, the maximum penalty for speeding is a £2,500 fine, a 56-day disqualification, and six points on a licence.
But Switzerland isn’t the only European country with this system in place.
Germany, France, Austria and the Nordic countries all issue driving fines based on the offender’s wealth.
The recent fine is not a record breaker in Switzerland.
In 2010, a millionaire Ferrari driver was reportedly hit with a £210,000 ticket.
The man was caught speeding in the eastern region of St. Gallen.
The latest offender must pay £10,000 up front.
And he will have to pay the rest of the fine if he is caught for a similar offence in the next three years.
The driver was a French citizen and was listed among the 300 richest people in Switzerland, 24 Heures reported.
He reportedly has a fortune in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Spokesperson for the Vaud public prosecutors office Vincent Derouand said the defendant didn’t contest the decision.
It was handed down in June and the offence took place last August.
The driver was a multi-millionaire, reports say[/caption]
