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Next week should be tough for Federal Councilor Alain Berset.
In the affair surrounding the corona leak in Alain Berset’s (50, SP) interior department (EDI), other members of the Federal Council have now also spoken out. Your statements show that the revelations of “Switzerland at the weekend” were not yet an issue in the Federal Council as a whole. But: There is an urgent need to speak. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (61, FDP) said on SRF radio: “I am convinced that this will be discussed in the Federal Council.”
The newspaper reported last Saturday that Berset’s former head of communications Peter Lauener (52) had continuously sent confidential information about the Federal Council’s planned Covid measures to the CEO of Ringier Verlag, Marc Walder (57). According to the accusation made by special investigator Peter Marti, the information sent to Ringier-Verlag, which also publishes Blick and SonntagsBlick, was intended to put pressure on Berset’s government colleagues.
Tough week for Berset
So the coming week should be tough for President Berset. He will have to face uncomfortable questions from his government colleagues: Was he involved in Lauener’s leaks? Did he even instruct his employees to spread information about corona measures? Or – which seems unlikely – did he know nothing about all this?
Berset himself said: In view of an ongoing procedure that is not directed against him, he cannot say anything publicly about it. “I have taken note of that and am looking forward to the discussion that will then take place among us,” Cassis commented on the statement by his Federal Council colleague.
Consultations in the GPK
The Corona indiscretions will also be a topic in the National Council’s Business Audit Committee (GPK-N) at the beginning of next week. It can be assumed that Berset will then have to face a hearing there as well. And the GPK of the Council of States will probably invite the Minister of Health to a hearing, said Vice President Werner Salzmann (60, SVP) last weekend.
It is legitimate to give answers to parliamentarians’ questions – even if he does not have access to the files, according to Berset. “The business review committees are the right place,” he signaled at the WEF in Davos that he was willing to answer questions there.
Mail correspondence with Ringier press
So far there have only been isolated calls for the incumbent President to resign. However, the Zurich SVP National Councilor Alfred Heer (61) has called for Berset’s departure through several public channels. But since Parliament has no power to depose Berset until the Federal Council’s confirmation elections, he goes on to say that if he doesn’t resign, the case will have to be investigated.
Heer announced that he would submit an application to request e-mail traffic between Peter Lauener and the entire Ringier press, possibly including e-mails from Berset. Heer’s GPK colleague Katharina Prelicz-Huber (63, Greens) told SRF that the whole thing seemed “more like a campaign”.
“Have to look closely”
It is unclear how many applications have already been received for the GPK meeting. When asked by Blick, President Prisca Birrer-Heimo (63, SP) only said: “There are applications on the table that we will deal with.” Other GPK members don’t let their cards be looked at either. Most say only that it is important to take a very close look at this topic.
“All the facts must now be on the table. The allegations are serious, and the public needs to know whether there have been attempts to systematically influence government decisions,” says Corina Gredig (35, GLP). In this sense, the GPK must deal intensively with this topic and make an interpretation. “Only then can I decide whether I will also submit applications myself.”
GPK member Erich Hess (41) wants to take a similar approach. But the SVP National Council says: “If the GPK sees that something has gone wrong somewhere in the federal administration, we have to take a close look. And regardless of whether a legal process is ongoing or not.”