ZURICH, (Reuters) – The Swiss government announced today it would start legal proceedings to confiscate former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s assets, frozen in Switzerland since 1986.
It made the announcement a day after a new law, called the “Duvalier Law” by the Swiss media, came into force, opening the way for the return of the Duvalier funds to Haiti, one of the world’s poorest states.
“The Swiss government, which has worked to find a solution for the restitution of the Duvalier money to the Haitian people, has used the powers conferred by the restitution law to take this case to court,” Berne said in a statement.
“Representatives of the Duvalier family will get the opportunity to prove the lawfulness of the blocked assets during the confiscation procedure in front of the Federal Administrative Court,” it said.
Switzerland, which has worked hard to improve its image as a haven for ill-gotten assets, decided last month to freeze assets belonging to Tunisia’s former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali as well as those of Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo.
Duvalier, 59, returned unexpectedly to Haiti last month after 25 years of exile in France. He now faces charges of corruption and crimes against humanity for killings and torture that occurred during his 15-year rule.
Duvalier is alleged to have embezzled between $300 million and $800 million of assets from Haiti during his presidency.
The new Swiss law closed a legal loophole that might have allowed Duvalier to get back the several million dollars stashed in Swiss banks following a court ruling last year that granted an appeal by his lawyers against the return of the money to Haiti.
The Swiss cabinet previously blocked funds in Swiss accounts held by deposed leaders including Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and Nigeria’s Sani Abacha, buying time for foreign prosecutors to build a case for the restitution of the funds.