Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Former Venezuelan minister denied Swiss residency

Oil drill rig in Venezuela
Villalobos is suspected of involvement in alleged corrupt practices at Venezuela's national oil and gas company. Keystone/Ana Maria Otero

A court in Switzerland has rejected giving a residency permit to a former vice-president of Venezuela, Nervis Villalobos Cárdenas, and his family.

The presence of the former energy minister under Hugo Chávez was deemed a threat to public security and a risk for Switzerland’s reputation, according to a verdict by the Federal Administrative CourtExternal link.

The ruling, announced on Wednesday, confirms a decision by the State Secretariat for Immigration and the Federal Police Office, but it goes against the authorities of canton Geneva dating back to 2016.

The appeal was launched by the wife and son of Villalobos nearly two years ago, according to the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA.

Villalobos was arrested in Spain and extradited to the United States in 2017 amid criminal investigations into suspected corruption and money laundering in several countries.

The latest ruling in Switzerland is final and can’t be appealed.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Precious metals stolen from watch supplier in Le Locle

More

Thieves steal precious metals from Swiss watchmaker

This content was published on Thieves raided the factory of the Swiss watch supplier Werthanor in Le Locle in northeastern Switzerland on Thursday morning. They fled across the border to France with precious metals.

Read more: Thieves steal precious metals from Swiss watchmaker
FOPH reports a drop in influenza cases

More

Flu cases decline in Switzerland

This content was published on The flu epidemic in Switzerland is easing. The number of reported cases fell last week, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). But the wave may not yet have reached its peak.

Read more: Flu cases decline in Switzerland

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR