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Alain Berset was the victim of an extortion attempt by a woman in November 2019. What do you know about the case?
In November 2019 there was a blackmail attempt against Federal Councilor Alain Berset. The health minister filed a complaint: the federal prosecutor concluded the criminal process in September. The case raises questions.
What do we know about the attempted blackmail against Federal Councilor Berset? “One person made defamatory and false statements about Alain Berset’s private life eight years ago,” his spokesman said when asked by SRF. That was on November 20, 2019. The Federal Council hired a lawyer and filed a criminal complaint with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office on December 12, 2019. The person was detained for eight hours the following day.
Who is the perpetrator? According to the “Weltwoche”, who uncovered the case, it is a woman. The identity of the woman is unknown.
What did the woman want to blackmail Alain Berset with? It is not known exactly what this woman wanted to bring to the public. The corresponding place in the penalty order has been crossed out. According to Berset’s attorney, Patrick Eisenhut, this is legal. He announced that this was not special treatment for the Federal Council. And the Federal Prosecutor’s Office explains that they want to protect the privacy of victims and perpetrators.
What material did the Federal Prosecutor’s Office seize? Alain Berset’s lawyer told SRF that the material consisted of emails, private correspondence and a photo that “shows the face, and only the face of Mr. Berset.” “You could easily put it on Instagram,” Eisenhut writes. Berset’s spokesman says there are no catchy photos or other incriminating information. The Federal Council could not be blackmailed.
Do these documents still exist or have they been removed? According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, all the documents are present in the investigation file, as established by the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Federal Criminal Police only confiscated several data carriers of the woman and deleted all the data they contained. This deletion is legal. So not everything was completely eliminated.
Was the woman convicted? Yes, the woman received a sentence of 150 daily rates of 30 francs for a period of two years. In addition to an unconditional fine of 900 francs, he must also bear the court costs of 2,500 francs. What is in the Sanction order issued publicly on September 14, 2020. Interesting: The woman abstained from her monetary claim on December 12 and described her own claims as incorrect. He returned the documents to the Federal Council.
Have you ever tried to blackmail Federal Councilor Alain Berset before? According to Berset’s spokesman, the Federal Council is repeatedly the victim of criminal acts. But never before has there been an attempted blackmail. The woman tried to blackmail Alain Berset only once.
Does Federal Councilor Berset have to expect political consequences? It is not yet clear. “From what I can currently estimate, the matter will have no political consequences. It appears to affect the private life of the Federal Council, ”says SRF national editor Sabine Gorgé. “From a criminal law perspective, the matter is closed. Of course, there is now speculation about what could be behind this. It remains to be seen if he will stay with Alain Berset and what. “
