Government against joining "oligarchs" task force

The Federal Council does not want Switzerland to join the international task force set up to track down the money of Russian oligarchs.

Economy Minister Guy Parmelin told the Sunday press that membership is not in Switzerland's interest. 

He said “In an increasingly polarised world, Switzerland has an interest, as a neutral country, in maintaining a certain restraint.”

The National Council is due to vote next week on a motion - put forward by the Green party - on whether or not to join the task force.

Switzerland is regularly criticised by its western allies over its somewhat hesitant implementation of sanctions against Russian oligarchs.
 

 

More from Bitesize News

  • Geneva could foot the G7 bill

    Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.

  • US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

    Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.

  • French singer banned by Paleo

    The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

  • Cars going uninspected

    The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.

  • War may lead to rent rises

    Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.

  • Not a heatwave, yet

    Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play