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Fraudulently obtained welfare subsidies are not exempt from seizure

BGE 87 III 6Federal Supreme Court Official Reports (BGE) / Band IIIMar 16, 1961Dismissed

Open source

Extracted by Omnilex

Omnilex summary

The debtor claimed that monies derived from subsidies paid by welfare institutions and the Vaud public assistance authority were exempt from seizure under Art. 92 no. 9 LP. The court held that the exemption applies only to subsidies regularly received. Because the debtor had obtained the aid by deception and concealment of his financial situation, the amounts were not protected, even if he had saved them. The objection to seizure was therefore rejected.

Omnilex headnote

Art. 92 ch. 9 LP; seizure exemption for subsidies; the exemption covers only subsidies regularly granted and received. Aid obtained through conscious deception or concealment of relevant circumstances is outside the protective scope of the provision. The legislator did not intend to shield a debtor who induced payment of assistance by misleading the aid institution; such sums are not indispensable within the meaning of the statute and remain attachable (consid. 1).

Full text

Urteilskopf

87 III 6

  1. Extrait de l'arrêt du 16 mars 1961 dans la cause Gros.

Erwägungen

ab Seite 6

Les subsides alloués par une caisse ou société de secours en cas de maladie, d'indigence, de décès, etc., sont insaisissables en vertu de l'art. 92 ch. 9 LP. Le débiteur pourrait en principe se mettre au bénéfice de cette disposition si le montant dont il conteste la saisissabilité provenait des subsides que lui ont versés diverses institutions de secours ainsi que l'Assistance publique vaudoise. Cependant, l'art. 92 ch. 9 LP ne s'applique évidemment qu'aux subsides reçus régulièrement. Le législateur n'a pu vouloir protéger par cette disposition celui qui, grâce à des mensonges ou à des dissimulations conscientes, obtient des secours qui ne lui auraient pas été accordés en connaissance de cause. Or le débiteur est dans ce dernier cas. En tant qu'il a pu épargner les subsides reçus, ils ne lui étaient pas indispensables et il ne les aurait point obtenus s'il n'avait pas trompé les institutions de secours sur sa situation économique. Dès lors, même si le montant litigieux provient de tels subsides, il n'est pas insaisissable.

Keywords

debt enforcementseizure exemptionwelfare subsidiesfraudattachability

Extracted by Omnilex

Key legal questions extracted by Omnilex

Key legal question

Whether welfare subsidies are exempt from seizure under Art. 92 no. 9 SchKG when they were obtained by deception

Extracted holding

Only subsidies regularly granted and received fall under Art. 92 no. 9 SchKG. Amounts obtained through lies or concealment are not protected and remain attachable.

Extracted reasoning

The purpose of the exemption is to protect legitimate aid. The legislature could not have intended to shield a debtor who, by conscious deception, obtained assistance that would not have been granted with full knowledge of the facts. Since the debtor misled the aid institutions about his financial situation, the sums were not indispensable in the statutory sense and therefore not exempt.

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