From the public’s stance on the 13th AHV pension financing to increasing rescue operations for lost hikers and more.
Keystone/PABLO GIANINAZZI
The open financing of the 13th AHV pension, more lost hikers and a right-wing extremist taken away: this and more can be found in the Sunday newspapers. The headlines in unverified reports:
NZZ am Sonntag
Following the acceptance of the 13th AHV pension, the Swiss population has rejected sources of funding from their own pockets.
Higher VAT, higher payroll taxes and a higher retirement age scored poorly in a survey conducted by the opinion research institute Yougov. The most popular idea was a tax on financial transactions.
For 64% of respondents, it was one of the three most important financing measures for the 13th AHV. Financing through savings in the military or in development aid also met with approval. In total, the additional costs would amount to four to five billion francs.
Asylum Seekers
The number of security-related incidents in federal asylum centers has doubled since 2020 from 672 incidents to 1368 cases. In 2023, the number reached a new high, as the “NZZ am Sonntag” wrote based on figures from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).
The SEM pointed out that these are absolute figures and that incidents per overnight stay have decreased. According to the newspaper, security-related incidents range from arguments to harassment and assault.
According to the SEM, 70 percent of incidents were caused by asylum seekers from Maghreb countries. Asylum applications from this region have increased significantly since 2021 and are usually hopeless.
SonntagsBlick / SonntagsZeitung
Emergency interventions for lost hikers in the Swiss mountains have increased in recent years. On ski tours in particular, so-called blockages have more than doubled compared to previous years.
Right Wing Extremism
On Saturday evening, the Zurich cantonal police arrested the Austrian right-wing extremist Martin Sellner at a lecture in Tegerfelden AG. Well over 100 right-wing extremists attended the event, according to SonntagsBlick.
The event was organized by Junge Tat. Sellner had traveled to Switzerland unmolested, even though the Zurich cantonal police had applied to the federal government for an entry ban. The location of the event had been kept secret until the end. The police had checked several people near Koblenz AG.
Globus feeling the pressure
The value of the five Globus properties has fallen by a third since the Signa Group filed for insolvency. Signa’s entire Globus portfolio recorded a loss in value of 431.5 million euros, as the SonntagsZeitung wrote based on a report by the restructuring administrator on the real estate subsidiary Signa Prime.
The report shows that real estate entrepreneur René Benko proceeded in the same way in Switzerland as he did with German properties: The value of the property was defined by potential future rental income. If the value of the Globus buildings continues to fall, it could become problematic for cantonal banks, the newspaper wrote. Several cantonal banks granted Signa loans in the three-digit million range.
False Documents Case Dropped
At the end of February, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) discontinued the proceedings against the extraordinary public prosecutor Peter Marti for usurpation of office and falsification of documents.
Ringier boss Marc Walder had reported Marti, as the “SonntagsZeitung” newspaper wrote. Based on a ruling by the OAG, the newspaper wrote that no conduct could be proven that would have been sufficient to bring charges against Marti.
The charges were triggered by two letters that Marti had sent after ending his work as a special investigator. Walder accused Marti of having printed, signed and sent the letters on the stationery of an extraordinary public prosecutor.
According to the ruling, no unlawful intent was apparent to the OAG. Walder is defending himself against the discontinuation of the proceedings, as the newspaper wrote.
CS Executive Withdrawals
The major bank Credit Suisse (CS) has financed bonuses and dividends through debt. CS managers and shareholders withdrew CHF 32 billion from the company over ten years despite a lack of profits, as the SonntagsZeitung newspaper wrote based on previously unpublished reports.
Under the management of Tidjane Thiam and Urs Rohner in particular, the bank actually had too little capital to pay out dividends and bonuses. The capital losses stemmed in part from the overpaid purchase of the US bank DLJ in 2000, meaning that money was pumped into the holding company from subsidiaries.
Later, those responsible also resorted to high-yield bonds (AT1): these were partly used to finance the holding company’s payments and partly to enable the subsidiaries to increase their capital.
Blausee Chairman Caught Trespassing
The Bernese Oberland public prosecutor’s office has issued a penalty order against Blausee co-owner and Chairman of the Board of Directors Stefan Linder.
In a judgment that is not legally binding, it accuses him of multiple counts of trespassing, multiple counts of violation of confidential or private areas and coercion, as “SonntagsBlick” wrote based on the summary penalty order.
Linder had investigated the fish death in the Blausee on his own initiative. According to the penalty order, he is said to have illegally entered the premises of the quarry operator SHB and installed a surveillance camera.
He is also alleged to have tried to persuade a truck driver to cooperate with the prosecution authorities. The public prosecutor’s office imposed a conditional fine of CHF 51,680 and a liaison fine of CHF 12,920. Linder denied all the allegations. He lodged an appeal against the penalty order.
Le Matin Dimanche
The appointment of an external group of experts to review the federal finances has met with criticism. Members of parliament from left to right accused Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter of delegating her tasks to third parties.
The administration, which has a better overview, could very well take on the task, they said. The costs for the group of experts are estimated at around CHF 100,000 to 200,000, according to the Federal Department of Finance. The department will cover the costs.
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