Cassis describes blocked Russian funds as “major source of funding” British Prime Minister Sunak forgot something – now police threaten with a fine

Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis caused quite a stir – from the media and especially from the banks. When asked about the blocked Russian funds by Radio SRF, Cassis described them as a “major source of funding”. And further: “Damage that is caused must also be repaired by the aggressor.”

Cassis still referred to the lack of a legal framework that would be necessary to steal the Russian funds and that Switzerland was adjusting to international developments in this area. But these relativities were then rather lost.

It also went unnoticed that Cassis’ statements deviate significantly from the official opinion of the Bundesrat. According to the Federal Council, it monitors and guides international discussions on possible confiscation and further use of assets of the Russian state, state-related companies or sanctioned individuals.

But the “use (of the blocked Russian funds) for the reconstruction of Ukraine is (…) not planned”. This has been recorded by the Swiss government in its responses of 17 August 2022 to two initiatives: a motion from the Social Democratic parliamentary group and a postulate from the Green National Councilor Franziska Ryser. Both the SP and Ryser want to use Russian resources to rebuild Ukraine, but the Federal Council rejects both approaches.

“Massive interference with property rights”

This attitude has not changed to date. The Federal Council justifies its refusal, among other things, that the confiscation of the assets would be a “massive violation of the property guarantee and other fundamental constitutional rights”.

According to the Federal Council, being on a sanctions list does not mean that the sanctioned person has committed a crime, and consequently the freezing of the assets does not mean that they were obtained illegally. In addition, sanctions are a “temporary coercive measure” to reduce a state to behavior consistent with international law. Sanctions are not punitive measures.

Of course, Switzerland cannot ignore international developments – and will yield if the entry becomes the international standard. That is why she is also preparing: according to information from Switzerland, an interdepartmental working group will present an interpretation to the Federal Council on the weekend of February, what legal room for maneuver there is and, above all, where there is a risk of complications.

Switzerland is not alone in its concerns, as was heard at the edge of the WEF in Davos. Skepticism is also prevalent in Germany and Luxembourg – at least for the time being. In the countries that are close to Russia and the war, the assessment is different: the Baltic states and Poland, for example, want to confiscate Russian funds. (aargauerzeitung.ch)