Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - In the trial against members of the Al-Zein clan, it became clear how easily the extended family got money from the job center. It was about half a million euros. Hardly completed forms, incomplete addresses and deviating signatures did not cause the authorities any doubts.
"The family was completely inconspicuous. Before the police reported it, we had no reason to assume benefit fraud," said the team leader for recoveries from the Leverkusen job center on Tuesday as a witness at the Düsseldorf district court.
Different handwriting in a form is no reason for doubt, Caritas employees would often help with filling it out. "It is crucial for us that the application is signed. We don't care who filled it out," he said.
After hints from defense attorneys that the signatures in the case of one applicant were not at all similar, the witness said: "We do not check whether the signature has changed."
