Switzerland Freaks Out After Veselnitskaya Plot Is Exposed

[Eugene]

Source: Daily Beast

HELD TO ACCOUNT

Switzerland Freaks Out After Veselnitskaya Plot Is Exposed

The Swiss are feeling the squeeze after a U.S. agency called them out for returning stolen money to sanctioned Russians.

Nico Hines
World Editor
Updated Aug. 10, 2023 2:52PM EDT Published Aug. 10, 2023 10:18AM EDT

LONDON—Switzerland is roiled by controversy after getting called out by a U.S. government agency for falling for a plot orchestrated by notorious Trump Tower lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

“Switzerland is fighting for its reputation,” wrote Swiss newspaper of record Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

The fallout comes after the U.S. Helsinki Commission wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggesting that three Swiss nationals—two ex-prosecutors and one former law enforcement official—should be sanctioned by the U.S. “These individuals have abetted Russian nationals sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act,” the letter read.

Veselnitskaya, the pro-Kremlin lawyer who attended an infamous meeting with Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner in 2016, held secret talks with one of the men—Vinzenz Schnell—while he was supposed to be investigating the Magnitsky affair, one of the world’s most notorious frauds, which Veselnitskaya was tasked with covering up.

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Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/switzerland-freaks-out-after-veselnitskaya-plot-is-exposed

[bucolic_frolic]

1. "its reputation" - Does that refer to abiding by the law, or providing banking secrecy?

[erronis]

5. CH has no reason for existence except as a place to stash wealth secretly.

[Tetrachloride]

2. what does this mean Switzerland is fighting for its reputation

ah
bucolic beat me to it

[brush]

3. Seems to me they released money they shouldn't have..

to sanctioned Russians...Putin allies.

[ToxMarz]

4. I would bet there was a handsome 'transaction fee' for their services.

[tornado34jh]

6. Switzerland is an enigma

It isn't just banks. Each canton has it's own government, and it has 4 different languages. But even the German is very different. I know this being that my brother's wife is from Basel. Switzerland is often where a lot of big businesses have their headquarters there, such as FIFA, IOC, etc. They are very proud of their banks to a fault, same with their supposed neutrality. They are also one of the well known tax havens where a lot of corporations put their money in, along with others such as Ireland and the Netherlands. I remember reading about the UBS tax evasion controversy. They are very bitter when their bank stuff is exposed and their neutrality is exposed. But again, they try to project neutrality, even in things such as in war in Ukraine. Of course, a lot of people from other parts of Europe and Turkey live in Switzerland, so it really is somewhat multi-national.