BELLINZONA, Switzerland - highest Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland released Thursday a banker from Zurich, accusations of corruption and the laundering of money and has granted more than 400 000 Swiss francs ($ 450,000) in damages and interest.
Prosecutors had alleged that Oskar Holenweger took 1 million Swiss francs to create bank accounts anonymous for the French engineering company Alstom SA, the manufacturer of power stations and high-speed TGV trains, to use in the bribery of foreign officials.
The verdict by the Court criminal Federal CFO compensation after a legal more seven year Odyssey which has garnered huge headlines in Switzerland is a defeat for prosecutors, who described the case as an effort to support the efforts of the nation to get tougher on corruption.
The President of the Court, Peter Popp, said that none of the charges against CDF supported by sufficient evidence.
The French company was not at his trial and refrains from comment on publicly. He did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
During the trial, prosecutors said that CDF opened 163 different accounts in his private bank and some commercial banks to help Alstom funnel 80 million francs to officials in exchange for contracts in South America and Asia. The Swiss Government has frozen money from Alstom which CDF deposited in commercial banks and Swiss private bank. The company was not the trial.
"The question if he knew that the funds would be used for corruption remains unanswered," Popp said.
CDF lawyer, Lorenz Erni, expressed satisfaction for the decision.
Federal Prosecutor Lienhard Ochsner said he would decide later whether to appeal to the Federal Supreme Court.
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