Russia gives lavish gifts to a top Swiss law enforcement official for leniency on cases

Switzerland’s most powerful law enforcement and investigatory official, Michael Lauber, resigned amid impeachment proceedings over his mishandling of high-profile corruption and money-launder cases. He held secret, un-minuted meetings with the president of FIFA while leading a what has become a slow and problematic investigation into corruption at FIFA. Lauber’s top Russia expert (“Viktor K”, whose real identity cannot be revealed but has “fluid” links between Swiss federal prosecutors and Russian officials) accepted gifts from Russia, such as a bear hunting trip to Siberia. Russian officials lobbied Swiss prosecutors on sensitive cases such as the Magnitsky affair during a series of off-the-book meetings in expensive restaurants and during elaborate vacations and day-trips. Viktor K told the court the lavish trip could have been funded by one of several Russian oligarchs. A key Russian official on the trip was Putin ally deputy state prosecutor Saak Karapetyan, who died in a helicopter crash in October 2018.

About This Incident

Incident Metadata

Date: 2016
Country: Switzerland
Source: Source