That is what Alain Berset said during the hearing on the Corona leaks and their consequences

“How come the Defendant Marc Walder has repeatedly sent confidential information by email, especially in the field of Covid measures?” asked Federal Prosecutor Extraordinary, Peter Marti, Federal Councilor Alain Berset. “I don’t know,” Berset replied.

The Minister of Health was summoned to the new police and justice center in Zurich on May 21, 2022 as a person to provide information. Berset’s interrogation took place four days after that of Peter Lauener, his communications chief at the time. He was questioned as a suspect. Lauener, who is presumed innocent, was present when Berset was questioned.

After brief discussions with his lawyer, Berset decided not to comment on the emails his head of communications had sent to Ringier boss Marc Walder (see box). In some cases, however, he did say something.

Marti explained that the Bundesrat is a collegial authority and that the decision-making process in the body and the provision of information by the Bundesrat are regulated by law. “In my opinion, the prior information of a CEO of a media company has no basis, neither in the Constitution nor in the law. What do you say to that?” Marti asked. “I agree,” Berset replied.

Berset admitted that he had a “good relationship with Mr. Walder”, but downplayed this: he also had good relationships with other publishers. He and Walder are not friends. “For example, I was never invited to dinner with him. It was all part of my professional activity,” the Federal Council stressed.

He has “several contacts with Ringier, e.g. Digital Switzerland, which interested us very much”. Digital Switzerland is an organization that aims to strengthen Switzerland as a location for digital technologies; Marc Walder is the initiator and chairman of the steering group. Berset also mentioned that his department had worked with media companies on the vaccination campaign.

Marti spoke to Berset about a journalist from the “Sonntags-Blick”, whom he named, and asked him about contacts with her. When Berset remained vague, Marti asked, to which the health minister replied, “I’m not making a statement. I’m in an awkward situation here because I don’t know what this thread is about. I don’t want to be prosecuted either.”

Berset also stated that the handling of confidential information was “precisely regulated”. It is “simply not allowed to send confidential information”. Marti read him some of Lauener’s emails to Walder; Berset responded several times with the comment that he could not judge whether the information was actually confidential.

When asked if he denied that the suspect—that is, Lauener—had given Marc Walder confidential information, Berset replied, “I don’t know. I don’t know either.”

Marti wanted to know if Marc Walder or Ringier Verlag had considered sending confidential information. Berset said: “It seems impossible to me. Of course there was no such agreement. What exactly is suggested by the question is inconceivable to me.”

During the interrogation, Marti also wanted to know how close Berset and Lauener were. The special counsel quoted from an email in which Lauener wished him a happy birthday and expressed his admiration for him. Berset replied: “I have been working very closely with Mr. Lauener for 10 years. But I have no personal contact with him.”

The health minister also stated that he “barely reads newspapers”. He concentrates on his work. “I don’t care how the media portrays me. I don’t care what the media says.”

The statement is noteworthy for a federal councilor who was repeatedly accompanied by photographers over a long period of time; the result was presented in elaborately produced photo books. During the hearing, Berset emphasized that the last two years in particular have shown that “the work of the Federal Council must be explained properly and in an understandable way. This is a work of communication».

The Ringier media continues to kindly follow Berset. Following the surprise election of Jurassic Elisabeth Baume-Schneider to the Federal Council on December 7, 2022, some media outlets questioned whether this would increase pressure on Berset to step down soon; he has been in office for eleven years. The following week, he gave an interview to Blick, which asked no critical questions and appeared under the headline, “I’m still full of energy and want to continue!” On January 6, 2023, the “Schweizer Illustrierte” asked Berset: “What gave you strength during this time?” The time of the corona crisis was intended.

During the interrogation, Berset twice spoke of “leakage”, ie the disclosure of confidential or classified information. “Leaks are a big problem,” he says. There are many leaks that have appeared in the press. “That irritated me, the team knows that.” The leaks would have put him under pressure. “Sometimes it also led to brutal threats against my family.”

The Health Secretary summed up: “During the pandemic period, I was practically never able to bring a deal before the Federal Council without direct information being leaked before the Federal Council meeting.” Special Prosecutor Marti is convinced that Berset’s department itself played an important role.

Shortly before the end of the interrogation, Berset spoke again about leaks – and made a sharp remark to the extraordinary prosecutor, again explaining how his family had suffered from the indiscretions. Then Berset added: “I am personally very affected by such leaks. The biggest leaks I’m experiencing come from the third branch of the state.” So from Justice.

What was Berset alluding to? Probably due to the fact that a bailiff could have informed “Weltwoche” about the attempted blackmail of a former lover. In this case, Berset was represented by the same lawyer as during the interrogation by Marti.

The interrogation at the Justice and Police Center took a long time: it started at 10.45 am and ended at 5.25 pm. When Marti finally asked, “Would you like to add anything on this subject?” Berset replied, “No.”

(aargauerzeitung.ch)