Swiss Prosecutors Probed for Freezing Yukos Accounts

The Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s Office is being investigated for its role in freezing assets linked to Russia’s Yukos oil company, after complaints surfaced that Swiss justice authorities leaked information about the accounts.

Yukos’ main shareholder, Menatep, has accused the Swiss justice authorities of a breach of official secrecy rules, the Swissinfo news agency reported Monday. The Swiss judicial authorities allegedly gave information about a record $5.3 billion of Yukos assets held in five Swiss banks.

Menatep accuses the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of illegally passing on a document, dating from March 10, 2004, to the Russian authorities during an inquiry into Yukos.

Yves Maitre, a cantonal prosecutor, said the Swiss government appointed him in August to lead an investigation into the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.

“I have been appointed special prosecutor with a six-month mandate,” Swissinfo quoted Maitre as saying.

The Prosecutor’s Office, led by Valentin Roschacher, has refused to comment.

Maitre said the Gibraltar-based company, Menatep, the main shareholder in Yukos, filed a complaint earlier this year.

Swiss authorities froze the accounts in question last spring, as part of a Russian probe into fraud and tax evasion. However, Switzerland’s highest court in June ordered the release of most of funds blocked at the request of the Russian authorities.

The Federal Court said the measures taken by the Swiss Prosecutor’s Office had been disproportionate and had lacked sufficient information from Russia for legal assistance.

Lawyers of the former head of Yukos, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, also accused the Swiss authorities of acting hastily.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the allegations.

(From Moscow News, 09.11.2004)