Abandonment of Proceedings and Withdrawal of the Request for Mutual Legal Assistance made to Argentina

Bern, 08.02.2013 - The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) is putting an end to the investigations being conducted into Ricardo Ruben Depresbiteris, after the Argentine businessman was able to dissipate the suspicion of money laundering hovering over him. As a consequence, on 7 January 2013 the OAG abandoned proceedings and is withdrawing the request for mutual legal assistance it had addressed to the competent Argentine authorities.

The OAG opened a criminal investigation in January 2011 following a notification received from the Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS). Initially opened into persons unknown, the investigations on suspicion of money laundering were later shifted over to the person of Ricardo Depresbiteris. The criminal proceedings centered on the funds that had been transferred onto bank accounts held by Mr. Depresbiteris in Switzerland. These bank accounts were subsequently frozen.

During the course of the investigations, the explanations provided by the Argentine businessman on the banking transactions regarding the funds deposited on his private bank accounts made it possible to elucidate their origin. Nothing was found to indicate any assets of illegal origin. Moreover, Mr. Depresbiteris submitted an attestation to the case file which had been issued on 7 November 2012 by the Federal Criminal Court n° 4, Chancellery n° 8 in Buenos Aires, explaining that charges filed against him in this same context had proven to be inconclusive and that a no-proceedings decision had been pronounced on 29 September 2011.

Within the scope of its investigation, the OAG sent a request for mutual legal assistance to Argentina that was covered in the press and provoked a veritable media rampage in the run-up to the Argentine Presidential elections of autumn 2011. The request made to the Argentine authorities has not been carried out.

Upon completion of the investigation, the OAG concluded that the suspicion of money laundering was not confirmed. Hence, the OAG abandoned proceedings on 7 January 2013. The entry into force of this no-proceedings order will cause the freeze on the bank accounts to be lifted. Meanwhile, the OAG is withdrawing the request for mutual legal assistance that it had addressed to Argentina.


Address for enquiries

Jeannette Balmer, OAG Spokesperson, +41 31 324 32 40, info@ba.admin.ch
Saverio Lembo and Anne Valérie Julen Berthod, Legal Counsel of Mr Depresbiteris; +41 58 261 57 00; geneve@baerkarrer.ch


Publisher

Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland
http://www.ba.admin.ch/

https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-47710.html