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Swiss lawsuit against gold bar US trade delegation

The meeting was held ‘in a constructive spirit’.
The heads of six large Swiss companies with US President Donald Trump in the White House. Keystone-SDA

Swiss parliamentarians have lodged a criminal complaint against business leaders who presented United States president Donald Trump with a Rolex and a gold ingot during tariff discussions.

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The complaint calls on the Swiss justice system to investigate the matter for potential corruption? Two Green Party parliamentarians filed a criminal complaint with the Attorney General on Wednesday, Swiss national broadcaster RTS has learned.

+ Tariffs: will Swiss supermarkets be inundated with hormone-filled beef?

With their criminal complaint, Raphaël Mahaim from Vaud and Greta Gysin from want an investigation and, above all, force prosecutors to take a position on the matter.

“The credibility of our institutions, respect for the rule of law and Switzerland’s international reputation are at stake,” they wrote in a seven-page letter to the Attorney General, which RTS has seen.

The question is: did the six Swiss business leaders violate Article 322 of the penal code by attempting to bribe a foreign agent? The agent in question being Donald Trump.

The bosses of Rolex, Richemont and shipping firm MSC presented a table clock and a gold ingot to the US president in early November during discussions at the White House regarding tariffs imposed on Switzerland.

If prosecutors launch an investigation, the matter could end up in the Federal Criminal Court.

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