Around 7 billion euros were paid out in the corona pandemic as aid for companies and the self-employed in Berlin by the responsible investment bank IBB. Almost 430,000 applications had been approved, the Senate replied to a request from the AfD. That was an average of around 16,000 euros per application. Some companies or the self-employed could also submit several applications.
By the end of October, 50 million euros (0.7 percent of the total) had been reclaimed from almost 8,200 applications because incorrect information was provided, the necessary requirements were not met or applicants wanted to cheat. However, the test procedure is still ongoing.
Since 2020, processing costs totaling 26.5 million euros have been paid to external auditing firms that support IBB in recovering money. The total for these costs has not yet been determined.
According to the latest figures, around 12,000 investigations into fraud in corona aid payments have already been initiated in Berlin. Another 7,700 cases are still being processed by the police. The IBB filed criminal charges in hundreds of cases. The Senate had emphasized that in 2020 the decision was made to provide quick and unbureaucratic help despite the known risk of abuse and fraud.
