Switzerland’s Attorney General, Stefan Blaettler, has urged lawmakers to grant him more extensive judicial powers akin to those used in the United States. At a recent conference, Blaettler highlighted that such changes would help expedite justice in corporate misconduct cases, drawing attention to the lengthy duration of these legal proceedings in Switzerland.
Despite notable convictions of former executives from major commodity-trading firms such as Trafigura and Gunvor over bribery charges, Blaettler expressed concerns over the time-consuming nature of such cases. He pointed out that procedural delays can extend up to a decade or more under the current Swiss legal framework.
Blaettler proposed adopting Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs), a tool commonly used in the U.S., to improve efficiency. These agreements allow prosecutors to conditionally suspend legal proceedings against a firm in exchange for compliance with specific terms. This approach, advocates suggest, can significantly cut down on the time taken for prosecuting large corporations.
While the call for U.S.-style powers represents a significant shift in Swiss legal policy, Blaettler acknowledged that actual legislative change may take several years to materialize. This push for reform comes at a critical time when global scrutiny of corporate practices, especially in sectors like commodity trading, is heightened.