Ludovik tunaj biography samples

Zug, 03.02.2022

The authorities have now closed branches of Safetest AG in at least five cantons. The company has attracted suspicion for some weeks, with those responsible feeling they are being unfairly treated: They fear that they will have to take the blame for an entire industry because of "individual mistakes".

“We were one of the fastest growing companies in 2021”, writes the top boss Ludovik Tunaj on social media. “That makes me proud, but not satisfied. You have to always stay hungry.” Ludovik Tunaj, Chairman of the Board of Directors, has previously made a name for himself as a hairdresser of the stars: he appeared on the Internet with Katy Perry, Heidi Klum and Kendall Jenner; and was photographed at the Golden Globes and at a party after the 2020 Oscars.

From Eglisau to Pfäffikon, Glarus, Gunzwil, Goldau
But it doesn't always have to be Hollywood: under the ‘Lifetest’ label, Tunaj and his company operates corona test centres in Eglisau and Pfäffikon, in Glarus, Gunzwil and Goldau, among others. Safetest AG, which is based on the Bahnhofstrasse in Zug, and was founded a little more than a year ago, now has as many as 41 locations according to its own information. A success story? Maybe, though not without a few flaws.

The company suffered a setback a few days after Christmas: due to "considerable quality defects", the Nidwalden health authority closed the Safetest test centre in Stans that had only been opened less than two months ago. The authorities justified the intervention with the fear that, despite an initial intervention, the centre could "continue to issue erroneous test results and certificates". A health hazard was "not excluded", and waiting any longer to take action was "unreasonable".

Safetest wanted to save itself from a "potentially lengthy procedure"
The operators could have taken legal action against the closure, but no complaint was received by the end of the objection period, according to the authorities in Stans. Michael Wohlgenannt, representing Safetest and Chairman of the Board of Directors Tunaj, says:

"Even though we only partly agree with the official decision regarding Stans, we have decided not to appeal against it, which would have involved a potentially lengthy procedure."

Instead, they want to concentrate on the work at the other locations. "This includes, in particular, our test centre in Engelberg, where the authorities recently gave us a good report."

Nevertheless: in addition to Nidwalden, the cantons of Solothurn, Basel City, Basel Land and Aargau have also closed Lifetest centres. The quality of the samples was insufficient in one case in Solothurn, while the operators did not have a permit at another location. The canton of Solothurn said that, up to now, no Lifetest centres have been opened or re-opened. The authorities in Basel say the same, but did not reveal why they ordered a closure at the beginning of January. A lack of permission was also the reason for a closure in Reinach BL.

No more tests in the centre in Stans
The closed test centre in Stans.                   Photos: Manuela Jans-Koch
The closed Lifetest centre in Solothurn.       Photo: Hansjörg Sahli

And in Aargau? A check of the Lifetest webpage shows that the company is active in Aarau, Baden, Lenzburg, Spreitenbach and Würenlos. Lifetest also lists a location in Reinach AG, but according to the authorities, there is no test centre there with active permission – which in turn caused an uproar regarding Safetest in the middle of last week.

Saftest does not want to be made a scapegoat
The matter has now drawn the attention of the public. In addition to the Zuger Zeitung newspaper, the "BZ Basel" and the "Sonntags-Zeitung" also reported on the Zug-based company, whose representatives say they are fighting for a fair presentation. Spokesman Wohlgenannt:

"The regulations and the implementation practices of the local authorities are constantly changing and differ from canton to canton, from municipality to municipality."

He continues: It’s right that the regulations should be strict. But this is a "unique emergency situation", Safetest had to ramp up the "necessary complex infrastructures" very quickly, and has carried out tens of thousands of tests in recent weeks. Errors did occur, but they have strived to meet "the same high quality standards everywhere". The centre operator says that they had learned from this, and have adapted the processes. At the same time, however, Safetest fears "being made the scapegoat of an entire industry because of individual mistakes".

Safetest only works with specialist personnel ("in contrast to many other test centres"), places high demands on infrastructure and test rooms, has a daily exchange between site managers and responsible doctors and has "successfully passed more than 20 inspections". In addition, the closures were not exclusively for quality reasons, but "in some cases only for “administrative" reasons. Essentially, Safetest spokesman Wohlgenannt is saying something that has been refuted by the authorities in five cantons: “We have the situation under control”.

The Board of Directors: A lawyer, a real estate dealer and a hairdresser
Nevertheless, and even though the Zug Public Prosecutor's Office is not currently investigating Safetest, the company's reputation has taken a blow. Until now, however, little was known about the situation at Safetest AG. The deed of incorporation dates from 7 January 2021, when a lawyer set up the company in the Riesbach-Zurich notary's office and deposited the CHF 100,000 share capital with Valiant Bank. The Board of Directors thereby consisted of Chairman Tunaj and a 37-year-old real estate entrepreneur from the Canton of Zurich.

Managing director Ehad Beqiri is not mentioned in the commercial register. He is 36 years old and owner of a digital agency, with which he is said to have started the business with the analysers before the founding of Safetest (and which shares the same mailbox in Zug with Safetest and 43 other companies). In addition, people like Michael Wohlgenannt appear publicly as project manager – and with him a partner who, according to Linked-in, earns his money as a marketing consultant and is involved in an advertising agency of Wohlgenannt.

In summary: Due to a lack of permits, and deficiencies in hygiene and quality, among other things, the authorities have closed more than 10% of all the test centres that are being run by a company made up of lawyers, hairdressers, and advertising people, and whose medical direction for several cantons is a plastic surgeon. Is there a lack of medical know-how?
"It goes without saying that we have the necessary technical expertise," replies Wohlgenannt.

In the operation of the test centres, they work together with medical professional and have cooperation agreements with a dozen doctors. "The Board of Directors is mase up primarily of the owners and investors; they define the strategy and support the business by bringing together the right people with the necessary expertise for the operational business," says the Safetest spokesman.

Zug authorities have closed a test centre
According to the Epidemics Act, only laboratories with a licence from Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, may carry out microbiological tests, including corona tests. However, the Federal Council has exceptionally permitted the setting up of rapid antigen tests in centres that have a licence from a canton and operate under its supervision. As the Zug Health Directorate informs on request, one test centre has been closed by officials up to the end of January, and there are currently 14 places where you can  be tested for the corona virus in in the canton of Zug.