Anglo Leasing affair: Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland requests Kenya for mutual legal assistance

Bern, 20.06.2014 - The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), as part of its own criminal investigation into the Anglo Leasing case, has requested support from the Kenyan judicial authorities to obtain evidence of a possible predicate offence to money laundering.

Companies based in Switzerland are suspected of being involved in the Kenyan Anglo Leasing scandal and related assets are believed to have been moved to Switzerland. This is the starting point for the OAG's criminal proceedings against three suspects, which began in April 2009 following a report from the Money Laundering Reporting Office (MROS).

Since then, the OAG has successfully identified and frozen several bank accounts in Switzerland. Financial transfers were assessed and the results of the comprehensive cash flow analysis of cross-border links led the OAG to request mutual legal assistance from various states. England, Scotland and Jersey have already provided the OAG with a considerable amount of useful information.

The OAG is now requesting Kenya for active mutual legal assistance in order to obtain evidence of the predicate offence committed outside Switzerland. The suspected predicate offence to money laundering is the alleged bribery of Kenyan public officials in return for the award of lucrative government contracts. The OAG has requested the transmission of evidence obtained in the course of the Kenyan criminal proceedings in the Anglo Leasing scandal. Assistance from the Kenyan judicial authorities is therefore essential and their contribution will be decisive to the success of the Swiss criminal investigation.

The OAG has previously granted mutual legal assistance to Kenya, providing the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission with documents on Swiss links to the Anglo Leasing affair and on the associated funds that were identified in Switzerland (See OAG press release dated 20.09.2012: https://www.news.admin.ch/message/index.html?long=de&msg-id=46040).


Address for enquiries

Jeannette Balmer, Spokeswoman OAG, +41 31 324 32 40, info@ba.admin.ch


Publisher

Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland
http://www.ba.admin.ch/

https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-53434.html