Ex-cabinet members had knowledge of Crypto business dealings, say papers
Zug-based firm Crypto sold encryption technology to around 100 countries, some of which was manipulated for use by the CIA and German intelligence services.
Keystone / Str
The Crypto leaks scandal continues to shake the Swiss political establishment. The Sunday papers report that some former federal ministers and parliamentarians had ties with the Swiss firm that helped the CIA and German intelligence listen to conversations of foreign powers for decades.
As a federal investigation into the affair gets underway, several Swiss papers report that archived documents name at least two former federal ministers with knowledge of the Zug-based company dealings.
Crypto leaks in a nutshell Crypto, a Zug-based communications encryption firm which was liquidated in 2018, sold code-making equipment to Iran, India, Pakistan, Latin American nations and dozens of other countries. The technology was modified to let the CIA and German secret service (BND) break codes, as reported by The Washington Post along with Swiss public television, SRF, and German broadcaster ZDF.
According to German language papers NZZamSonntag and SonntagsZeitung current Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter submitted documentsExternal link to the government last December, which indicated that former justice minister Arnold Koller was aware of federal police investigations into the Zug-based company in the 1990s.
Koller is also said to have been aware of contact between a member of the Crypto board and former defence minister Kasper Villiger.
More
More
How manipulated Swiss tech shaped world politics
This content was published on
Camp David, Iran, Argentina, Panama: These are just a few examples of how the US steered world politics with the help of Swiss firm Crypto.
This follows reportsExternal link on Saturday that current defence minister Viola Amherd had also sent a confidential paper to colleagues in December, with similar information. This represents the first official source in Switzerland showing some high-level government knowledge of Crypto’s questionable affairs with foreign intelligence.
Last week, Villiger vehemently denied any knowledge of the relationship with the CIA, arguing that the CIA documents are “not correct”.
Based on archived documents from 1994, there are also indications that two other government ministers at the time were informed of Crypto’s activities. This is based on letters written by someone working at the company’s distribution operations in Iran, who had been arrested in 1992 along with Swiss employee Hans Bühler.
The man wrote directly to the two former ministers, Jean-Pascal Delamuraz and Flavio Cotti, that he had sold devices made by Crypto with the “Swiss made” label, which were used for espionage.
Parliamentarians were also added to the list of public officials who were both chairmen of the Crypto board of directors for several years.
The government has commissioned former federal judge Niklaus Oberholzer to lead the federal investigation, which is expected to deliver a comprehensive report on Crypto AG by June.
More
More
Has ‘Crypto Leaks’ exposed Swiss neutrality as a sham?
This content was published on
Swiss politicians, historians and the media are debating the possible consequences of the latest spying scandal for the country’s credibility.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Switzerland faces income losses from US tariffs, says ETH Zurich
This content was published on
Compared to Germany and France, Switzerland would face “significantly higher losses,” says ETH Zurich’s Centre for Economic Research (KOF).
Christian Oppliger named new head of the Swiss Air Force
This content was published on
Christian Oppliger has been named the new head of the Swiss Air Force, starting on October 1. He succeeds Peter Merz, who will become CEO of Skyguide.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF6 million for earthquake victims in Myanmar and Thailand
This content was published on
The earthquake in March caused severe destruction, especially in Myanmar, where the humanitarian situation is already dire, according to Swiss Solidarity.
This content was published on
On Wednesday, the Swiss government named Ambassador Gabriel Lüchinger to the role, amid the ongoing trade war initiated by US President Donald Trump.
Switzerland to cut UN development aid by CHF13 million
This content was published on
The reduction in contributions is due to the cuts to the 2025 budget for international cooperation, which were decided by Parliament last December.
Swiss parliamentary committee seeks extra billion for army ammunition
This content was published on
A committee of the Swiss House of Representatives wants to swiftly acquire ammunition for its ground-based air defence and other systems.
Nestlé Waters scandal: Élysée Palace ‘knew of misconduct’
This content was published on
An inquiry revealed that the French presidency granted Swiss company Nestlé Waters access to ministries despite knowing about their misconduct.
This content was published on
The Swiss are participating in an open test of the new electronic identity card. This will eventually lead to a state-recognised e-ID.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.