No Swiss profit from foreign corruption!
Media release from Public Eye
No Swiss profit from foreign corruption! Petition demands restitution of illegal profits to victims in the Global South. So do we!
In brief:
- Public Eye is demanding the repatriation of confiscated corruption profits from Swiss companies to the low-income countries affected.
- For fair compensation of the defrauded population, as also demanded by affected organizations, only a small change in law and practice would be needed in Switzerland.
- The campaign also includes a new 900 million banknote, which illustrates the bribe payments that are particularly rampant in the raw materials sector.
Swiss companies such as Glencore that have been convicted of bribing foreign officials have had to repay over CHF 900 million to date. However, this money did not flow into the health or education systems of the countries concerned, but into the federal coffers in Bern. Today, Public Eye is launching a digital campaign against this injustice. Collection of signatures. The campaign is supported by Congolese partner organizations and very special Swiss banknotes.
Switzerland will soon have new banknotes. The six concepts still in the running have now been joined by a seventh, on which the figure of 900 million francs is framed by oil platforms and large excavators from the extraction of raw materials. The political message of this campaign flyer is «No profit from corruption» and is an appeal for more justice as the new Swiss currency. Specifically, the campaign launched by Public Eye today calls for Petition the restitution of illegal corporate profits resulting from the bribery of foreign public officials to the victimized population in low-income countries. Up to now, the Swiss treasury has benefited from these «compensation claims» collected following criminal judgments, while the victims in the Global South have been left empty-handed.
Corruption is particularly widespread in the commodities sector, in which Swiss companies play a leading role. Glencore and Trafigura were sentenced last year and this year together to pay over CHF 260 million in compensation claims. Since the first application of corporate criminal liability in 2011, exactly CHF 911,910,000 has flowed into the federal treasury in Bern - and not, as ’morally indicated’ (quote from the Federal Council), into the often ailing healthcare or education systems of the countries particularly affected by bribery. Although the recent tougher sentences handed down by the Swiss judiciary punish injustice, they do not restore justice for the people affected. All it would take for the money to finally go to where the damage was done would be a little political will and a small amendment to the law.
Public Eye demanded this for the first time in 2022 - together with 30 other organizations. In 2024, activists from the Democratic Republic of the Congo appealed directly to the Federal Council. And the current Analysis of the Basel Institute on Governance on «Switzerland's handling of illegitimate profits from foreign corruption» describes and recommends «the necessary legislative and administrative measures». Specifically, the high requirements for cooperation in corruption proceedings, which are a condition for the restitution of compensation claims, should be adapted to the circumstances and possibilities of the countries concerned. In addition, the Federal Council should be given the opportunity to decide on restitution independently. Obviously, however, neither is possible without public pressure. So sign our petition now!
For over 50 years, Public Eye has been campaigning for Swiss companies and politicians to assume their responsibility to respect human rights worldwide.
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