Fri, Jun 24th 2022
How Russian oligarchs may be laundering money through Switzerland, Swiss scientist wins award for cancer vaccine, and more in our roundup of Swiss news from June 21 – 24.
There is a mystery surrounding three tons of gold which arrived from Russia in May.
Who in Switzerland ordered Russian gold?
More than three tons of gold worth more than $200 million were shipped from Russia to Switzerland this May, according to multiple reports this week. The shipment was made two months after Switzerland announced tough sanctions on Russia, amid its invasion of Ukraine and provocation of war. All four Swiss gold refineries deny having ordered the shipment or any other involvement. Moreover, the Swiss Association of Manufacturers and Traders of Precious Metals also confirmed none of its members are involved in the illegal import. The gold could be used by a Russian oligarch for money laundering, according to Marc Ummel, a raw materials expert at Swissaid. Ummel advises that the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs investigate and report to the public what is going on. Read more.
Amid war, Switzerland pushed to define neutrality
Swiss men detained for bombing plan
German police arrested two Swiss citizens this week on the suspicion that the men were planning to bomb a major Swiss city, according to Baden-Württemberg prosecutors. The two young men, ages 24 and 26, have been under investigation since the beginning of June after stating their intentions to buy explosives on the dark web. The men traveled to Stuttgart to buy the explosives. The fight against such terrorism involves international cooperation, according to André Duvillard, a representative of the Swiss Security Network (SSN). Read more.
Swiss scientist invents cancer vaccine, wins prize
Swiss biotechnologist Madiha Derouazi and French immunologist Elodie Benoue this week were awarded the European Inventor Award from the European Patent Office (EPO) for a vaccine that could be used to treat different types of cancer. The vaccine boosts the immune system’s response to fighting cancer, said the EPO. Their vaccine assembly invention, known as the KISMA platform, is “intended for use alongside treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy,” the EPO said. KISMA has been used in colorectal cancer trials and now other human trials are underway. Read More.
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