Criminal case dropped after mask debacle

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Federal Councilor Viola Amherd (60) and her Department of Defense (DDPS) can breathe a sigh of relief. The allegations after the chaos around the purchase of masks were high. Officials would have paid completely inflated prices for scrap masks. There were even criminal consequences.

Two years ago, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (BA) started a criminal case against two former VBS executives and unknown persons. She even pointed that out in a message last summer.

It concerned the suspicion of bribery, forgery, abuse of office or favouritism. For example, those affected were accused of spreading false statements about prices and quality, recalling defective masks too late and not recovering the purchase price.

Allegations could not be substantiated

The Audit Committee of the National Council also spewed poison and bile. She not only questioned unit prices of up to 9.90 francs. In addition, the Federal Council and DDPS did not provide the army pharmacy with sufficient resources; Quality controls have been neglected. It was also missed to submit complaints and possibly withdraw contracts.

But now it appears that the allegations have collapsed. The two former executives in the DDPS are not being prosecuted, at least not. The investigations failed to confirm any suspicion. The CA has discontinued its proceedings. The corresponding decision is available.

In the 19-page document, the federal prosecutor’s office is very understanding. She points out that at the beginning of the crisis “tenders were hardly possible. At the same time, the number of people in need increased rapidly». Mask prices have exploded, reaching 14 francs each. Trading did not return to normal until mid-May 2020.

All struggled with quality issues

The investigations produced no indication “that the army pharmacy had not paid current market prices for the ordered goods in the required quantity, type, terms of delivery and date of delivery”. No specific misconduct could be identified.

On the contrary, the army pharmacy was thrown into the deep end at the beginning of the pandemic. The CA also states that it did not have the necessary resources. In addition, at the beginning of 2020, mouth mask production was running at full speed worldwide to meet the enormous demand. This has led to “significant quality issues” throughout.

Cancellation of contracts not recommended

Reference is of course made to the Zug-based company Emix, which was repeatedly accused of exorbitant prices for scrap masks during the Corona crisis. However, like so many other things, the company name has been blacked out in the order. The company offered the army pharmacy to replace defective masks. A brief legal report concluded that negotiation is more effective than going to court.

The suspicion of deliberate nepotism was not substantiated. It also does not appear that relevant facts were deliberately withheld or presented untrue in the December 2020 procurement report of DDPS. The same applies to suspected bribery. No consideration was found in connection with contracts.

Nothing except expenses

The accusation of office forgery? I also could not be confirmed. The investigations have revealed no evidence of abuse of office or disloyal conduct in office. All points are lost.

The taxpayer now has to pay the legal costs. However, no compensation or compensation will be paid to the two former VBS executives. They were not particularly badly injured in their personal circumstances. The federal prosecutor also explains that they have not incurred any costs or economic losses.

Source:Blick