Communication affair: Berset does not want to comment further on "illegal indiscretions
President Alain Berset has for the first time commented on an alleged leak of information in his department during the Corona pandemic. Berset speaks of "illegal indiscretions", which he does not want to comment on further.
In view of ongoing proceedings that are not directed against him, he could not say anything about it, Berset said on Saturday evening in the program "Forum" of the French-speaking Swiss radio RTS. He spoke, however, of "quite scandalous" indiscretions.
The judiciary must now be allowed to work. He could imagine that these indiscretions would be prosecuted ex officio, Berset continued.
Ex-communications chief targeted
On Saturday, "Schweiz am Wochenende" reported that Berset's former head of communications, Peter Lauener, had repeatedly passed on confidential information to the Ringier publishing house about planned covid measures by the Federal Council. According to the newspaper, it is based on e-mails and interrogation protocols that are available to the editorial team.
Berset's former communications chief was questioned by the special federal investigator, Peter Marti. The special prosecutor had been appointed to investigate the crypto leaks.
Several employees of the federal administration had been suspected of having passed on confidential information to the media in connection with the Crypto affair. However, Marti then expanded his investigation to include other possible cases of violations of official secrets in connection with the Federal Council's Corona policy.
In particular, the former head of communications of the Department of the Interior was targeted. According to the newspaper report, Lauener is said to have had a direct line to Ringier boss Marc Walder and to have repeatedly informed him of impending Corona decisions by the Federal Council.
Ringier CEO Walder and Federal Councillor Berset were also heard as respondents by special investigator Peter Marti, according to the newspaper. Lauener had to spend a few days in custody after being questioned.
Investigation blocked due to sealing
The former Zurich chief justice Marti had justified his request for detention on the grounds that there was an urgent suspicion that there might be collusion with various parties to the proceedings and that evidence might be stolen.
However, the extraordinary public prosecutor could not evaluate various electronic devices seized during a house search. Lauener had requested that they be sealed. The compulsory measures court in Bern has not yet ruled on a possible unsealing.
This sealing is the reason why the investigations are currently blocked, special investigator Marti told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Saturday when asked. With reference to the ongoing proceedings, Marti did not want to comment further on the affair.
For his part, Lauener filed criminal charges against Marti last September. He accuses the special investigator of abuse of office and possibly other offenses. Now Stephan Zimmerli, the extraordinary public prosecutor, is investigating Marti. Lauener had left his position in the Interior Department at the end of August and now works for a political consulting agency.
