Swiss defence firm searched over suspected Russian arms deal
After being made aware of the allegations by a whistle-blower, RUAG said it had immediately launched an internal probe and had filed a criminal complaint with the Swiss federal prosecutor's office.
Keystone
The offices of the state-owned defence company RUAG were raided on Thursday by Swiss federal prosecutors as part of an investigation into suspected arms deals involving Russian President Vladimir Putin's bodyguards.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) confirmed that it had ordered a search of RUAG’s premises on Thursday morning following a report of a criminal offence, reported by the company itself. OAG added that it had opened criminal proceedings relating to the federal act on war materiel, criminal mismanagement and possibly misconduct in public office.
The Swiss state-owned defence contractor RUAG is reportedly cooperating fully with the prosecuting authorities.
The Handelszeitung newspaper External linkbroke the story on Thursday. The German-speaking business newspaper said the case allegedly involved an executive at RUAG’s ammunitions business Ammotec and a Julius Baer banker in Russia, who for years secretly arranged deals in technical equipment and weapons for Putin’s guards.
After being made aware of the allegations by a whistle-blower, RUAG said it had immediately launched an internal investigation and had filed a criminal complaint with the OAG.
In a statement released on Thursday, RUAG said that an employee had been fired immediately for these “unacceptable circumstances”. It added that to the best of the company’s knowledge, all export transactions related to the allegations were carried out “in conformity with legal regulations”.
Julius Baer told Reuters that it was aware of the allegations and was investigating them, adding that the employee in question would be suspended.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
Most Swiss Abroad won’t be able to vote online in 2027 federal election
This content was published on
The wage gap between married mothers and fathers in Switzerland is significantly worse than that between single woman and men.
This content was published on
The new "Swiss Football Home" football campus is being built in Thun. The centre, based on an international model, will include pitches for the senior national teams and the headquarters of the Swiss Football Association.
Report identifies gaps in Swiss anti-racism and anti-Semitism measures
This content was published on
Among other things, there are gaps in criminal and civil law protection against racism on the internet, a report published on Tuesday suggests.
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
Swiss weapons producer expands presence in UAE
This content was published on
The company plans to expand its daughter firm, Ruag Simulation Company, from four employees to 10-15 staff next year in the United Arab Emirate. The office will specialise in training simulation systems, Ruag told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday. Ruag chief executive Urs Breitmeier told the newspaper that the expansion of the Abu…
This content was published on
The discovery of drugs last September was only revealed in the 2015 annual report of Bern’s cantonal justice authorities, and the Swiss media didn’t pick up on the story until Friday. The Chilean state-owned weapons manufacturer FAMAE had sent the tanks to RUAG for an overhaul of their engines and transmission systems in 2015. The…
This content was published on
“The attacks were industrial espionage,” Defence Minister Guy Parmelin told the Swiss daily newspapers Tages-Anzeiger and The Bund in an interview on Wednesday. According to the news report, Russia is suspected of being behind the computer attacks. The Russian embassy in Bern has not commented on the issue. The Tages-Anzeiger has also quoted Alex Kuprecht, head…
This content was published on
The moratorium has held up more than 50 multi-million franc deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Swiss weapons manufacturers had voiced their concerns at the ban, with the state-controlled Ruag saying it had cost the company tens of millions of francs and potential job losses. Last summer, lobby groups for the…
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.