Prosecutors consider re-examining religious school abuse claims

Former pupils of the Christliche Schule Linth in canton St Gallen have spoken to the media of living in a climate of fear. © Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

The St Gallen public prosecutor's office is weighing up the resumption of an investigation into a private Christian school in Kaltbrunn, following allegations of abuse made in a television programme. 

A spokesperson for the prosecutor confirmed this to the Beobachter magazine on Friday.

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The email from the public prosecutor’s office to the consumer magazine was also available to the Keystone-SDA news agency. The media had previously speculated about a resumption of the proceedings, which were suspended in 2022.

“When examining the new investigative approaches that arise, we also rely on reports from victims who are willing to testify,” said the spokesperson. The public prosecutor’s office will immediately follow up on new information from victims who came forward.

In a report on Swiss public broadcaster SRF, former students of the evangelical institution recently made serious allegations. They reported beatings with belts, rape and a climate of fear.

The school “Domino Servite” (Serve the Lord), which is now called the Christliche Schule Linth, was co-founded by the former chocolatier Jürg Läderach. He denied allegations that he was personally involved in abuse.

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