Former Justice Minister Christoph Blocher has been invited to put the case for his immunity in connection with a probe into an alleged breach of banking secrecy.
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The parliamentary panel which is considering the issue has set a date of April 25 for the meeting.
The Zurich justice authorities formally called on parliament on Tuesday to allow a criminal investigation into the strongman of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party.
He is being investigated together with three other people.
Blocher argues his immunity is guaranteed as a member of parliament and, in turn has accused police of searching his office and his private home without a valid legal warrant.
Blocher is suspected of involvement in the publication of controversial foreign currency transactions by the wife of former central bank chairman, Philipp Hildebrand.
The controversy led to the resignation of Hildebrand in January and prompted a series of political debates as well as a reform of the bank’s internal financial regulations.
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People’s Party strongman under investigation
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The home and firm of the former justice minister and rightwing Swiss People’s Party strongman Christoph Blocher were searched on Tuesday as part of the criminal inquiry, according to a statement from the Zurich prosecutor’s office. Blocher’s spokesman Livio Zanolari declined to comment. Former SNB head Philipp Hildebrand resigned in January after emails cast doubt…
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The Zurich prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Friday it had also launched criminal proceedings against a People’s Party lawyer and a Zurich cantonal parliamentarian for breaches of banking secrecy laws. As part of the investigation, police on Friday searched the houses of both the lawyer and the parliamentarian. Philipp Hildebrand resigned as chairman…
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The government thanked him for his achievements as central bank governor, but his opponents in the rightwing Swiss People’s Party have accused the federal authorities of covering up and glossing over private currency speculation by senior bank members. Hildebrand told a news conference on Monday that his resignation was with immediate effect. He explained he…
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.