Finance minister questions Raiffeisen board pay rise
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Swiss finance minister Ueli Maurer has criticized the board of Raiffeisen bank for awarding itself a 40% pay rise at a time when its former CEO is facing criminal proceedings for suspected corporate fraud.
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In an interview published by the Zentralschweiz am Sonntag and Ostschweiz am Sonntag newspapers, Maurer said he did not understand the decision and that it was not sensible. However, he added that it was not up to the government to interfere.
In early March, Raiffeisen’s former CEO Pierin Vincenz was arrested and put under criminal proceedings for corporate fraud, and the chairman of the board stepped down over the affair.
The troubles at Raiffeisen are unpleasant, and the case harms the entire financial centre, because it damages trust, the minister told the newspapers.
Maurer added that he had not identified any failings in financial market oversight. The bank is also facing proceedings from the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
The minister said he would now wait for the results of the criminal investigation.
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