Switzerland’s attorney general has opened an investigation into a corruption case involving Venezuela, according to a weekend report published by Schweiz am Wochenende. The Latin American nation is in the grips of a major political, economic and social crisis.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Español
es
Suiza investiga un caso de corrupción relacionado con Venezuela
According to the prosecutor’s statement to the weekly, proceedings were initiated at the end of 2017 against unknown persons “in the context of the events in Venezuela”. The offence is money laundering.
UBS, contacted by Swiss financial news agency AWP, has indicated that it is not aware of the case. Requests for comment from Credit Suisse and Julius Bär have gone unanswered.
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) is also reported to be taking action.
Last October, a former employee of Swiss multinational private bank Julius Baer was sentenced to ten years behind bars in the United States for money laundering.
He admitted that he had helped steal about $600 million (CHF600 million) from Venezuela’s national oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA).
Last month, Washington imposed sanctions on PDVSA.
The United States and several other countries have dismissed the re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura as illegitimate, recognising instead Juan Guaido, the national assembly leader who declared himself interim president of the Latin American country.
Switzerland has not yet recognised Guaido, unlike other European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain.
More
More
Record reached for suspected money-laundering reports
This content was published on
Record number of reports made to the Swiss money-laundering watchdog in 2017, worth a “striking” CHF16 billion ($16.2 billion), the agency has said.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Minister: Free-trade accord on the cards with US
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Affairs Minister Ignazio Cassis talks possible free-trade agreement and Venezuela while in the United States.
This content was published on
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has doubled its budget for its humanitarian work in Venezuela to CHF18 million.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.