Corona indiscretions – Federal Councilor Alain Berset is now under pressure from Parliament – News

  • Parliamentarians are reacting to the apparently targeted indiscretions about the corona measures from Alain Berset’s department, which “Switzerland on Sunday” made public on Saturday.
  • The Vice President of the Audit Committee of the Council of States, Werner Salzmann (SVP/BE), wants to summon Berset to a hearing.
  • Other parliamentarians criticize Alain Berset.

In connection with the forwarding of confidential information on planned Covid measures from the Department of the Interior to the Ringier-Verlag (Blick), “Switzerland on the weekend” received excerpts from the interrogation protocols of Federal Councilor Alain Berset and e-mails from his then head of communications Peter Lauener published.

The “corona leak” in the Department of Home Affairs


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The bomb burst in July 2022. Peter Lauener, head of communications for Federal Councilor Alain Berset, is said to have been in custody for several days, it became known at the time. There was talk of house searches and confiscated evidence. Now the “Switzerland at the weekend” reveals why Lauener was in custody: The extraordinary public prosecutor Peter Marti, who was actually supposed to investigate indiscretions in connection with the so-called crypto affair, had come across e-mails, the closest contacts between Lauener and the boss of the Ringier publishing house, Marc Walder. He is now leading criminal proceedings for breach of official secrecy.

The e-mails and minutes of the several-hour interrogation of Federal Councilor Berset and communications chief Lauener by public prosecutor Marti have been leaked to the newspaper. The extensive e-mail traffic makes it clear that the head of communications regularly provided Ringier with confidential information during the corona pandemic, which could be read shortly afterwards as an exclusive research in “Blick”. The head of communications also arranged meetings between Federal Councilor Berset and Marc Walder. Walder and Berset are not accused in the proceedings, but were questioned as persons providing information.

Parliamentarians are now reacting to this apparently systematic “corona leak” becoming known. The Audit Committee of the Council of States will invite Federal Councilor Alain Berset to a hearing, says Commission Vice President Werner Salzmann (SVP/BE) to SRF: “Ultimately it’s about him, about his management and he must and can then give his opinion.”

“Close to decision for a PUK”

Confidence in the health department has dropped to zero, says Salzmann. Now the GPK has to hold hearings with special investigator Peter Marti, with Federal Councilor Alain Berset and the former head of communications Peter Lauener. At best, a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (PUK) would be necessary. “If what is in the press is true, then we are close to making the decision that we need a PUK.”

The President of the Audit Committee of the Council of States, Mathias Michel (FDP/ZG), does not want to go that far. He, too, finds it highly problematic if the media and the federal administration work together with indiscretions in this way.

Legend:

Federal Councilor Alain Berset must and may give his opinion before the GPK, says Councilor of States Werner Salzmann (SVP/BE).

KEYSTONE / Peter Schneider

However, an investigation by the GPK-N into the subject of indiscretions in connection with Federal Council meetings has been ongoing for a long time: “We will probably not start a separate investigation at the same time, because we have the topic on our radar.”

“Not plausible” and “not serious work”

National Councilor Alfred Heer (SVP/ZH) even demands: “If Mr. Berset does not resign, then we must investigate this case. I will also submit a request to the GPK that we demand this e-mail traffic between Mr. Lauener and the entire Ringier press and possibly from Mr. Berset. » The fact that Berset’s department only informed the Federal Council after the media violated the principle of collegiality, he told SRF.

Katharina Prelicz-Huber (Greens/ZH), also in the GPK-N, defends Berset. It feels more like a campaign against him. During the pandemic, it was important to inform the population regularly because everyone was unsettled.

In the “Sonntagszeitung” says Council of States Andrea Caroni (FDP/AR) that he finds Berset’s statements in the criminal proceedings that he does not know why Lauener provided Ringier with information “not very plausible”. It is about the question of what the Federal Council actually knew. “If Berset really didn’t notice anything, that would be a leadership failure.”

Assessment by media scientist Vinzenz Wyss (ZHAW)


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“If a medium allows itself to be treated preferentially by political power, this contradicts the fundamental journalistic principle of maintaining a critical distance from those in power. This is problematic because the suspicion arises that the preferred medium, in turn, makes the reporting suitable.”

Ringier-Verlag has commented on the allegations as follows: “Neither Ringier nor employees are accused in these proceedings.” Ringier is cooperating with the responsible authorities, while safeguarding the protection of sources.

Berset: “Illegal leaks”

Federal Councilor Alain Berset has counterattacked against the “Forum” program on French-language radio RTS. For him, the scandal is not his department’s close contact with Ringier, but the “illegal indiscretions” through the publication of the e-mails and the interrogation protocols. “Imagine the situation: I should now start commenting on illegal leaks. It’s quite a scandal as there is currently a criminal case going on that is not directed against me.”

“Forum” RTS, 01/14/2023

In terms of content, Berset did not go into the events in the “Forum” because it was an ongoing criminal case.

The presumption of innocence applies to everyone involved.

Assessment by political geographer Michael Hermann (Sotomo)


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“It is above all the accumulation of affairs that put pressure on Federal Councilor Berset. We have already seen that in Bundesbern. In any case, his political aging process will be accelerated. Up until now, Berset has still had the populace who have always stood firmly behind him. If that suddenly starts to erode, the pressure on him could also increase politically.”

Sotomo has the population monitoring carried out during the pandemic with opinion polls on behalf of the SRG and carried out the impact analysis of the prevention work of the FOPH.

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