'Gaddafi hides $A380 million in Switzerland'

The Swiss government has identified assets worth $A872.9 million belonging to Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi and the ousted presidents of Egypt and Tunisia.

Gaddafi-portrait_libya_300411_B_AAP_81643616
The Swiss government says it has identified potential assets to be frozen worth 830 million Swiss francs ($A872.9 million) belonging to Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi and the ousted presidents of Egypt and Tunisia.

Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, speaking at a diplomatic meeting in the Tunisian capital Tunis, said those include 360 million Swiss francs ($A380 million) that may belong to Gaddafi or his entourage.

She said Switzerland had also linked some 410 million ($433 million) francs to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and 60 million ($69 million) francs to Tunisia's deposed autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Switzerland has ordered banks and other financial institutions to freeze possible assets belonging to the three men and their key supporters to prevent the funds from being secretly withdrawn.

The Swiss government has said that Tunisia and Egypt have already started legal proceedings to claim the assets.

The government added that neither country has provided the necessary evidence of possible criminal wrongdoing involving the money to start unblocking the frozen assets of the ousted presidents.

Switzerland froze assets linked to Ben Ali and 40 people in his entourage on January 19, less than a week after he was toppled by popular revolt. On February 11, Switzerland froze assets of Mubarak and his associates.

The Swiss government sent diplomatic cables to Tunisia and Egypt in late March explaining that they must submit evidence so authorities can decide if the offences are punishable in Switzerland.

In both cases, the money will remain locked away for three years while the two countries satisfy the Swiss legal requirements.



Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world