Swiss launch fresh attempt to confiscate Yanukovych assets
Yanukovych was forced out of office in the 2014 protests.
Keystone/Andriy Mosienko/Pool
The Swiss government has decided on new measures to confiscate the assets belonging to the former Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his family.
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Suiza intenta de nuevo confiscar los bienes de Yanukóvich
The aim is to return the funds worth CHF130 million ($141 million) allegedly obtained unlawfully, to the Ukrainian people as part of an international agreement.
The move is not related to economic sanctions against Russia, the government said on Wednesday.
There is no timetable and for the assets remain frozen until the Swiss justice authorities have made a final decision on the confiscation, according to the government.
In a first step, the finance ministry has been asked to initiate confiscation proceedings with the Federal Administrative Court.
Frozen ten years ago
Yanukovych fled into exile in Russia in 2014 after mass protests against his controversial pro-Russia policy and his plans for closer ties with the European Union.
The Ukrainian judiciary accuses the then overthrown government and the ex-president’s family of massive corruption. A few days after the ouster, Switzerland froze assets of the deposed president and his entourage in Switzerland.
The Ukrainian authorities have struggled to confiscate the assets deposited in Switzerland for legal reasons and, most recently, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In May 2022, the Swiss government asked the finance ministry to open the first procedures for the confiscation of the assets in excess of CHF100 million. After further checks, it now wants to confiscate an additional CHF30 million.
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