A parliamentary inquiry will investigate allegations of leaks from Alain Berset’s interior ministry during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was decided on Tuesday.
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Parlamento suíço abre CPI sobre vazamentos da Covid-19
A report by the Schweiz am Wochenende newspaper on January 14 alleged Berset’s former head of communications had repeatedly passed on confidential information about Covid measures planned by the Swiss government to Ringier, one of the major media houses in Switzerland.
Following a two-day meeting, parliamentary management committees on Tuesday decided to open an inquiry to shed light on the affair. A special task force has been set up.
In addition to the parliamentary oversight, other ongoing procedures are open in connection with the alleged leaks. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has reportedly requested a special prosecutor to look into the alleged leaks to Schweiz am Wochenende.
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Swiss president decries ‘illegal leaks’ implicating his office
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Health minister Alain Berset, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, refused to comment on information from an “illegal leak”.
Alain Berset, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, says he does not wish to comment publicly on the proceedings. But he says he is ready to face parliamentarians’ questions over allegations of leaks from his office.
Berset told reporters last week: “When a question arises, it must be settled within the framework of the institutions.”
“There is an ongoing procedure which does not concern me, but which is running against other people, against third parties. It is very unfair to them that everything is being discussed openly in the media,” said Berset. “This is not really the idea of a democracy.”
He said he was not too worried about the controversy.
“I have experienced a lot in these three years [since the arrival of Covid-19]. I’ve really given everything so that we can get out of this very difficult situation with the pandemic,” Berset toldExternal link Swiss public television, SRF. “I’m used to pressure and the fact that there are always questions.”
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‘I’m used to pressure’, says embattled Swiss president
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Alain Berset says he is ready to face parliamentarians’ questions over alleged leaks from his office to the media during the pandemic.
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Potentially toxic arsenic compounds can form in the human body when seafood is consumed. This is caused by arsenobetaine, which is often found in seafood. It can be converted into partially toxic substances by intestinal bacteria.
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Swiss retailer Coop is expanding its programme to avoid meat waste. A corresponding pilot project is gradually being extended to the entire store network.
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Almost 700,000 people moved house in Switzerland in 2023
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In Switzerland, 9.3% of the population moved in 2023. This was the lowest rate in over ten years, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said on Monday.
New trial in Zurich for lawyer in ‘cum-ex’ scandal
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German lawyer Eckart Seith, considered in Germany to be the whistleblower in the cum-ex transaction scandal, is set to appear for trial again in Switzerland on Monday.
Swiss Federal Railways rated second best in Europe
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The best railway company in Europe is Trenitalia, according to NGO Transport and Environment (T&E). Swiss Federal Railways came second.
Berset: ‘Democracy is regressing in several countries’
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Democracy is backsliding in a number of nations and needs to be strengthened, says Alain Berset, secretary general of the Council of Europe.
Fall of Assad: Switzerland calls for reconciliation in Syria
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Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, the Swiss foreign ministry has called on all parties to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law.
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.
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‘I’m used to pressure’, says embattled Swiss president
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Alain Berset says he is ready to face parliamentarians’ questions over alleged leaks from his office to the media during the pandemic.
Swiss president decries ‘illegal leaks’ implicating his office
This content was published on
Health minister Alain Berset, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, refused to comment on information from an “illegal leak”.
Inquiry to look at possible leak of documents in Berset blackmail case
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After more details of a case involving the Interior Minister were revealed in the press, a special prosecutor is to investigate if official documents were leaked.
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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.