The Swiss Federal Court must decide whether the Tamil Tigers are a criminal group – following a complaint from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/sm
The OAGExternal link has filed a complaint against last year’s verdict from the Federal Criminal Court, which ruled that 13 alleged financiers of the Sri Lankan Tamil separatist group – Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) – could not be convicted of supporting a criminal group.
On Saturday, a spokesman for the OAG confirmed a report published by CH Media newspapersExternal link, but he gave no reason for the continued legal proceedings. After an investigation lasting nine years, the OAG suspected the accused of financially supporting the World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC).
In June 2018, the Federal Criminal Court found that the hierarchical link between the LTTE and WTCC could not be sufficiently established. The judges also felt there was not enough concrete proof to consider the LTTE as a criminal group.
However, it sentenced five of the accused to conditional prison sentences for commercial fraud and in two cases for forgery of documents. According to the CH Media newspaper report, Zurich lawyer and WTCC defender Marcel Bosonnet, who was handed a conditional sentence, has asked the Federal Court to acquit him.
More
More
No jail for Swiss Tamil Tiger financiers
This content was published on
The 13 accused were either given suspended custodial sentences or acquitted by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss Tamil Tiger trial has cost over $4 million
This content was published on
The eight-week Swiss trial of 13 financiers accused of funnelling money to the Sri Lankan Tamil separatist group LTTE has cost CHF3.79 million.
This content was published on
Swiss Justice Minister,Sommaruga,has signed plans for an extended migration partnership accord with Sri Lanka. NGOs have slammed the project.
Trial of Tamil Tiger financiers begins in Switzerland
This content was published on
The accused are from Switzerland, Germany and Sri Lanka. Some are former members of the World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC), which represented the LTTE in Switzerland until 2009, and include its founder, his deputy and the person in charge of finances. Between 1999 and 2009, they allegedly created a complex fundraising structure which involved coaxing…
This content was published on
The 13 accused, who come from Switzerland, Germany and Sri Lanka, have been charged with supporting or being members of a criminal organisation, fraud, false certification and money laundering. As the Office of the Attorney General of SwitzerlandExternal link announced on Wednesday, the LTTE was acting through a Swiss offshoot known as the World Tamil…
This content was published on
It’s Friday and Mala Jayakumar is busy making preparations for the weekly ceremonial worship of the Saivanerikoodam Hindu temple’s principal deity Shiva. Few outsiders know about the colourful temple hidden behind the glass façade of the very modern-looking House of ReligionsExternal link in Bern. In a few hours, the local Hindu community will gather to…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.