Sunday, February 13, 2011

Swiss freeze Mubarak's loot

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney)

Switzerland's government moved Friday to freeze any assets in the country's banks that might belong to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak or his family, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.Mubarak ended his 30-year reign Friday, stepping down following 18 days of protests against his rule.

An official statement from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said the Swiss cabinet had frozen all funds belong to Mubarak or "his circles."

"The [government] intends in doing so to avoid any risk of embezzlement of Egyptian state property," the statement read. "At the same time, the cabinet calls on responsible authorities in Egypt to comply with the justified demands of the Egyptian people in a quick, credible, participatory and transparent manner."

The government does not know what assets, if any, the banks have, said Norbert Baerlocher, a spokesman for the Swiss embassy in Washington.

It is widely believed that Mubarak and his family are extremely wealthy, but estimates as to his total net worth vary widely and haven't been confirmed......read on

No comments:

Post a Comment