Geschäfte mit Kuwait: Pierre Mirabaud muss wegen Bestechung und Geldwäscherei vor Gericht
Der frühere Präsident der Bankiervereinigung war lange eine prägende Figur auf dem Schweizer Finanzplatz. Jetzt holt ihn eine folgenschwere Altlast ein.
Former banker Pierre Mirabaud, once a prominent figure on the Swiss financial scene, finds himself facing serious charges of bribery and money laundering. Mirabaud, 77, was once the president of the Swiss Bankers Association from 2003 to 2009. However, his past has resurfaced as the federal prosecutor brings him to court for alleged bribery of foreign officials and money laundering.
He is accused of a business relationship with Fahad al-Rajaan, a former director of the Kuwaiti Social Insurance Authority. According to the charges, Rajaan allegedly deposited his agency's money into Mirabaud's bank and received unlawful regular and systematic reimbursements from Mirabaud. The total value of these reimbursements amounted to 82.3 million Swiss francs between 2000 and 2012.
During this period, the Kuwaiti Social Insurance Authority had deposited around 595 million Swiss francs with the Geneva-based private bank. Rajaan is also accused of receiving commissions from banks in Kuwait amounting to more than 850 million dollars. Mirabaud is set to face the federal criminal court in Bellinzona at the beginning of September.
His lawyer declined to comment on the matter. The prosecution seeks a probation term of 24 months for Mirabaud, who has admitted his guilt and cooperated with the authorities. This will be a shortened trial, and the court will review and confirm the negotiated sentence. Mirabaud's age and lack of employment in the banking sector since his retirement are considered mitigating factors.
The prosecutor's office also notes his lack of repeat offender status. In a separate development, Mirabaud's bank, Mirabaud, was recently criticized by the Federal Financial Market Authority (Finma) for significant violations of financial market regulations. The Geneva-based bank has vowed to appeal the decision. Yves Mirabaud, Pierre's son and a private banker, has stepped down from his position at the beginning of January, to be succeeded by the bank's executive partner, Lionel Aeschlimann.
Written by urgent.news from NZZ Wirtschaft's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
