The Swiss government has frozen the assets in Switzerland of former Tunisian president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, and Ivory Coast president, Laurent Gbagbo.
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This year’s Swiss president, Micheline Calmy-Rey, announced on Wednesday that the money of the two African leaders and people close to them would be blocked, with immediate effect.
In a statement, the cabinet said it did not want Switzerland to be a refuge for assets that may have been “acquired illegally” and could serve Gbagbo. The freeze on the money of the Ivory Coast’s discredited president will remain in effect for three years.
Gbagbo is refusing to step down following the presidential election in November. His opponent Alassane Ouattara has been widely recognised by the international community as the winner.
In the case of Ben Ali, who fled Tunisia on Friday succumbing to mass protests against his rule, the Swiss government said it took action to prevent any misappropriation of money belonging to the Tunisian state.
Switzerland added that the Tunisian authorities should have the chance to submit a request to Bern for legal assistance.
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Former Swiss cabinet minister Samuel Schmid – himself subjected to Tunisian censorship for remarks on civil liberties during a world summit – told swissinfo.ch: “It naturally wasn’t an open and completely amicable relationship. I hope that will change now.” Schmid’s criticism of authoritarian regimes catapulted Swiss-Tunisian bilateral relations to an all-time low after the World…
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Gbagbo claims to be the rightful winner, alleging massive fraud in the stronghold of his rival, Alassane Ouattara. But the international community has thrown its weight behind Ouattara, declared the winner by the country’s Independent Electoral Commission. His victory has also been recognised by the United Nations, which had its own observers there. Africa expert…
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After weeks of unrest at the start of 2011, deposed president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali flees to Saudi Arabia and the country takes on a new unity government. (Photos: AFP, Keystone)
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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.