- Federal President Alain Berset has commented for the first time on an alleged information leak in his department during the corona pandemic.
- The question is whether Berset’s former head of communications repeatedly and specifically sent confidential information to the Ringier publishing house during the pandemic.
- The newspaper “Switzerland at the weekend” reported this based on e-mails and interrogation protocols that the newspaper says it has.
In the “Forum” program on Swiss radio RTS, Berset speaks of “illegal indiscretions” (“fuites illégales”), which he does not want to comment on. In view of an ongoing procedure that is not directed against him, he could not say anything about it.
But he spoke of “quite scandalous” indiscretions. You have to let the judiciary work now. He could imagine that these indiscretions would be prosecuted ex officio, Berset said.
Ex-head of communications targeted
“Switzerland at the weekend” reported on Saturday that Berset’s former head of communications had repeatedly sent Ringier confidential information about the Federal Council’s planned Covid measures. According to the newspaper, it relies on e-mails and interrogation protocols that are available to the editors. A special investigator has initiated proceedings with Berset’s ex-head of communications as a suspect.
Berset’s former head of communications was questioned by the federal special investigator, Peter Marti. He was originally deployed to investigate crypto leaks, but then expanded his investigations to include other possible cases of breaches of official secrecy in connection with the Federal Council’s corona policy.
The former head of communications for the interior department was particularly targeted. According to the newspaper report, he is said to have had a direct line to Ringier boss Marc Walder and repeatedly informed him about upcoming Corona decisions by the Federal Council.
According to the newspaper, Ringier boss Walder and Federal Councilor Berset were also consulted as informants by special investigator Peter Marti. The former head of communications even had to be held in custody for a few days.
Investigation blocked due to sealing
The former Zurich chief judge Marti had justified his application for arrest by saying that there was an urgent suspicion that there were agreements with various parties involved in the proceedings and that evidence could be removed.
However, the extraordinary public prosecutor was unable to evaluate various electronic devices that were seized during a house search. The suspect had requested that they be sealed. The compulsory measures court in Bern has not yet decided on a possible unsealing.
This sealing is the reason that the investigation is currently blocked, Marti told the Keystone-SDA news agency. With reference to the ongoing proceedings, Marti did not want to comment further on the affair.
The suspect filed criminal charges against Marti last September. He accuses this abuse of office and possibly other crimes. Now the extraordinary public prosecutor Stephan Zimmerli is investigating Marti.
The suspected ex-head of communications left the interior department at the end of August and is now working at a political consulting agency. The presumption of innocence applies to him.