Swiss Animal Protection: Embezzlement Alleged

The president and several board members of Swiss Animal Protection may soon have to answer in court for charges of mismanagement.

Two suspended board members of Swiss Animal Protection (STS) have filed a criminal complaint against the president and former fellow board members.

The allegations include, among other things, mismanagement and inflated expense reimbursements.

The suspended board member, Schaffhausen SP National Councillor Martina Munz, confirmed corresponding statements in a report by CH Media newspapers on Monday.

The criminal complaint had already been filed in April, and the Basel public prosecutor's office had opened an investigation, said Munz.

"Hopeless situation" for Swiss Animal Protection

The public prosecutor's office itself declined to comment when asked. Based on official and investigative confidentiality obligations, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and also in view of the personal rights of any individuals concerned and parties to the proceedings, the Basel-Stadt public prosecutor's office stated that it is fundamentally unable to comment on any pending criminal proceedings.

Munz herself describes the criminal complaint, in context, as a problematic step taken in an almost hopeless situation. "For a year and a half, we tried in vain to fulfil our duties as board members by, among other things, verifying that donated funds were being used in accordance with the statutes," she says.

Numerous allegations against the president

However, as critics, she and her fellow board member Michel Roux had been sidelined, leaving them with no other option but to take legal action.

The allegations against president Nicole Ruch are “serious,” as CH-Medien reports. They include breach of fiduciary duty, dubious real estate transactions, misappropriation of donations and bequests, and inflated expense reimbursements.

Munz and Roux suspended by STS

The president of the STS rejects the allegations as unjustified. The organisation is in the process of modernising its accounting and adapting it to Zewo standards. As «Sonntagsblick» reports, the STS central board has suspended Munz and Roux for repeatedly violating the principles of loyalty and collegiality. The suspension is set to last until the delegates’ assembly in November, at which point the central board will recommend a vote to remove both individuals from office.

According to the STS, a comprehensive modernisation process is currently underway and a series of important measures have been taken in recent months.