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On November 21, 2019, Federal Councilor Alain Berset (48) received a private email in English. Seven documents are attached: several photos of Berset and personal correspondence. The sender gets to the point: the magistrate must repay 100,000 francs of “outstanding debts” and propose a date in the following month for the delivery of the money. If the magistrate of Freiburg does not comply with the demand, what is unfavorable to him will be made public. The next day the pressure increases: third parties are interested in the material.
What has been described is the beginning of a blackmail attempt against the Minister of Health, which was made public yesterday Saturday through a news flash from “Weltwoche.” The details mentioned are based on the criminal order issued by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office on September 14, which is available on SonntagsBlick. In it, the authority states that on December 12, 2019 they received a criminal complaint from Berset on suspicion of extortion. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office confirms it upon request.
Additional accounts opened for the amount of extortion
The criminal order has been blackened over long distances, not even the gender of the accused is evident. The “Weltwoche” writes about a woman as a perpetrator. It also remains open to what extent Berset and the person are or have been connected to each other. It is said that he opened two accounts for the 100,000 francs required. He also wrote other messages to Berset threatening to “reveal evidence” or “put everything on the table” in the event of a criminal complaint.
One day after Berset filed a criminal complaint with the federal prosecutor, on December 13, 2019, the handcuffs clicked: the person was arrested at 7.40 a.m. and remained in custody until 3.30 p.m.
Police confiscated several devices during the arrest, including a MacBook Air and several Samsung smartphones, as well as a Nokia cell phone.
This was followed by “data wipe” on these devices, a remarkable process. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office stated in the sanction order that “important interests in secrecy have been identified both in the personal and family as well as in the professional sphere.” That is, “for both parties.”
The Federal Council “is not subject to blackmail”
Berset Interior Department spokesman Peter Lauener said on request: “In late 2019, Federal Councilor Alain Berset was the victim of an extortion attempt. The subject was false and defamatory statements made by a private person about his private life eight years ago. “As part of the criminal investigation, the perpetrators withdrew their false and defamatory statements. The process concluded with a final judgment with a fine of 4,500 francs The execution was postponed with a two-year probationary period. There are no “captivating photos and no other incriminating information.” Federal Councilor Berset “was not open to blackmail.” “As a federal councilor, he is sadly repeatedly the victim of criminal acts, “explains Lauener. Patrik Eisenhut, Berset’s private attorney representing him in this matter, also emphasizes:” The defendant has retracted his baseless and sometimes defamatory accusations. “
The false accusations were made so massively that part of the sanction order was crossed out to protect the victims. With the trial, the ghost seemed over for Berset for the time being, and he was suppressed by the outbreak of the corona pandemic.
The fact is that since last December the Federal Council as a whole, but Health Minister Berset in particular, has been under special pressure with the outbreak of the corona pandemic. «I was very little at home in spring. We just work with the whole team all the time, for months, ”the interior minister said recently.
Berset received massive death threats
The additionally greater exposure of the Social Democrats is evidently reflected in an increase in personal attacks. The blackmail attempt is closed for Alain Berset, says his lawyer Eisenhut. “He is most concerned about the fact that massive death threats have been received against him since the outbreak of the corona pandemic.”
