Suspected money laundering of several hundred million Swiss Francs in connection with a Czech energy company
Bern, 24.10.2011 - The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has charged seven persons on suspicion of money laundering and economic crime in connection with the allegedly illegal take-over of one of the most important Czech energy companies. Formal charges have been filed with the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona.
In June 2005, the OAG opened a criminal procedure in connection with the allegedly illegal take-over of an energy company by members of its management by diverting the company's own assets. After a complex international financial investigation that lasted six years, the OAG deems that the grounds for suspicion emerging from the investigation are sufficient to seek indictment.
The OAG charges the directors of the company, together with third-parties who participated in the take-over, with having set up a particularly complex structure in different countries, including Switzerland, in order to misappropriate the company's assets for private purposes, thereby enabling them to become its owners without having to spend a cent.
According to the charges filed, a significant part of the assets were transferred to Switzerland to be laundered. Some one hundred bank accounts have been identified as linked to these activities, and a total amount equivalent to approx. CHF 600 million has been seized as a precautionary measure.
The suspicions notably concern the offenses of aggravated money laundering (Art. 305bis of the Swiss Penal Code, SPC), breach of trust in the execution of administrative duties (Art. 158 SPC), fraud (Art. 146 SPC), and forgery of documents (Art. 251 SPC). The company in question appears as civil claimant in the procedure.
The suspects enjoy the presumption of innocence until such a time as the court pronounces its verdict. Now that the bill of indictment has been filed, the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona is competent for all further communication and information concerning this case.
Address for enquiries
Jeannette Balmer, Spokesperson OAG, +41 31 324 32 40, info@ba.admin.ch
Publisher
Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland
http://www.ba.admin.ch/
