Parliamentary commission proposes new Swiss attorney general
The Swiss parliamentary commission said Stefan Blättler was an ideal candidate with a long experience in criminal prosecution and strong managerial skills. He also teaches at the University of Bern's Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology.
Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
Twelve months after Switzerland's top federal prosecutor left under a cloud, a parliamentary commission has proposed Stefan Blättler, the current head of Bern’s cantonal police, as Switzerland's new attorney general. Parliament will vote on his candidacy next month.
On Wednesday, parliament’s judicial commission unanimously voted in favour of Stefan Blättler as Switzerland’s next attorney general.
“After an external evaluation process and a two-stage hearing process, in which around a dozen applications were reviewed, the Commission unanimously concluded that Mr Blättler has all the qualities needed for this office today,” the judicial commission said in a statementExternal link.
Switzerland’s former attorney general, Michael Lauber, resigned last July, after a court decided he had covered up a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and lied to supervisors while his office investigated corruption surrounding FIFA and as a parliamentary impeachment case was underway. Lauber, who denied the charges, had been attorney general since 2012.
The job has been vacant since last August as the commission struggled to find the ideal replacement. A dozen applications were received in total.
Blättler has a long experience in criminal prosecution and strong managerial skills, the commission said. He also teaches at the University of Bern’s Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology and speaks French, German, Italian and English.
Parliament is set to vote on his appointment on September 29.
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