Waltz investor Remo Stoffel, 45, has suddenly hurled himself into the illustrious circle of the Swiss business elite by purchasing real estate company Avireal from bankrupt Swissair estate. But he also got himself in big trouble. Both with business partners and tax authorities.
Climax of anger: In August 2019, Stoffel was detained for four days. The arrest was perhaps due to the fact that the enterprising investor, who wanted to build the tallest tower in Europe at 381 meters in Vals, recently announced that he would immigrate to Dubai with his family.
Stoffel is proud of the Waltz project…
Stoffel now lives there with his wife Manuela Pesko, a former snowboard star, and their four children, and comes to Switzerland only for the holidays. Today, Stoffel admits that the allegations against “Southeast Switzerland”, especially against himself, “burdened him a lot”: “For twelve years, I was publicly nominated as a tax evader and bankruptcy candidate.”
But now he’s looking ahead. For example, how to further develop the project “7123” and hotel in Vals GR. He’s proud: “We’ve created a product that will make guests at Vals pay the high room rates usual at this level.” He can develop the hotel only if the majority in the town approves. As a result, there is no concrete expansion project.
… and raves about Dubai
As Stoffel says in “Southeast Switzerland,” he can only rave about Dubai. “In Dubai, you look more at what you can do than what you can speak out against.” The multi-millionaire runs a building maintenance company there that currently employs 10,000 people. Everything in Dubai is highly technological. By the way, this is a point that worries him about Switzerland.
“In Switzerland, concerns and data protection laws prevent us from really stepping up with new technologies,” says Stoffel. “I’m really worried we’re going to be left behind here sooner or later.” (euro)