Switzerland steps up fight against international crime

Ruth Metzler met with the Philippine justice minister, Hernando Perez, in Manila on Tuesday Keystone Archive

The Swiss justice minister, Ruth Metzler, is on a week-long trip to South-East Asia to broaden Switzerland's cooperation in the fight against international crime.

Metzler on Tuesday signed a legal assistance treaty in the Philippines which allows for the exchange of information in criminal cases, as well as the sharing of videotaped interrogations of suspects.

The treaty covers crimes such as terrorism, money laundering and illegally acquired wealth, such as funds stashed away by former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The treaty “has a bearing on all matters pertaining to… all criminal activities… including the Marcos accounts”, said the Philippine justice minister, Hernando Perez.

Metzler added that the agreement “did not focus on the Marcos case”, since the Swiss had finished dealing with the matter and “the handling of the Marcos case lies now in the hands of Philippine authority”.

Police cooperation

Metzler is also due to travel to Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, where she will examine ways in which Switzerland can help combat a range of international crimes. These include terrorism, corruption and the trafficking of women and girls for prostitution.

“Closer police cooperation is needed to fight the increase in international crime,” Mario Affentranger of the justice and police ministry told swissinfo.

“And Switzerland wants to show that it is looking beyond its own borders and Europe in its efforts to play an important role.”

In Hong Kong, for example, Metzler will sign an agreement that will make it easier for the Swiss to work more closely with local judicial authorities. Affentranger says the agreement will open up direct lines of communication, bypassing the need to go through diplomatic channels.

“It should mean the faster transfer of records and evidence that could be important for legal proceedings in either country,” he said.

Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore are all important international financial centres and Affentranger says all three countries have an important role to play in fighting organised crime and in the campaign against terrorism.

“Agreements with these countries will mean that specialised police officers will deal directly with each other and that will make their work more effective,” he said.

Stopping illegal immigration

The issue of migration will also be high on the agenda during Metzler’s trip. Jean-Daniel Gerber, director of the Federal Refugee Office, will be accompanying the justice minister to all four countries.

He says it is important to open talks with countries that could be a potential source of immigrants in the future.

“Switzerland has been an attractive country for immigrants for many years,” he told swissinfo. “At the moment there aren’t as many immigrants coming from Asia as there are from the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans.

“But it’s better to hold discussions now and to find solutions to small problems than to try to find a solution to a problem which has already exploded.”

Gerber admits that although Hong Kong and Singapore do not figure highly as countries of origin for immigrants to Switzerland, they are important transit points.

International agreements already exist that give guidelines on what to do with passengers who arrive at Swiss airports without identification. But Gerber is hopeful progress will be made during the trip on negotiations for a readmission agreement with Singapore.

Such an agreement already exists between Switzerland and Hong Kong, making it easier to send illegal immigrants back to Hong Kong if it can be proved that the former British colony was their point of boarding before arriving in Switzerland.

by Jonathan Summerton