OTA lastminute.com has confirmed that its interim CEO Laura Amoretti is being investigated by Swiss public prosecutors over an alleged misuse of £25m of pandemic bailout funds.

Ms Amoretti was appointed in July following the arrest of the then CEO Fabio Cannavale and Chief Operating Officer Andrea Bertoli.

She was previously Chief Customer Officer.

In an online statement issued yesterday, the Swiss-based OTA said that Ms Amoretti and ‘a number of further former and current employees of the company have now the status of accused persons in the matter under preliminary investigation’.

It added: “The Board has expressed its full confidence in Laura Amoretti to continue leading the company in this challenging period.”

Swiss prosecutors had already previously detained Mr Cannavale and lastminute.com Chief Operating Officer Andrea Bertoli.

The group is accused of fraud in relation to CHF28.5 million (about £25m) of emergency state funds given to three subsidiaries to help pay the wages of staff on shortened working hours during the pandemic.