Ueli Maurer

The parliamentary inquiry into Credit Suisse criticised undocumented informal meetings, an inadequate handover to his successor and reassuring public statements in late 2022 while the crisis was worsening.

State of the evidence

Findings of a parliamentary inquiry commission

Legal status — source text

Institutional criticism; no personal criminal wrongdoing established

Attribution

Direct and institutional responsibility as Finance Minister until the end of 2022

A video of Maurer with AfD candidate Alice Weidel was used during the German election campaign. The gesture departed from the usual distance maintained by Swiss officials towards the AfD and prompted criticism even within the SVP.

State of the evidence

Public campaign video

Legal status — source text

No judicial proceedings

Attribution

Directly implicated

Maurer attended a military parade in Beijing in the presence of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, among others, while most Western officials were absent. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs had not been informed.

State of the evidence

Attendance and public statements documented

Legal status — source text

No judicial proceedings

Attribution

Direct involvement as a private attendee

After leaving government, Maurer accused experts, authorities and the media of manipulating the population and made disputed statements about vaccines. SRF identified several false or misleading assertions.

State of the evidence

Public statements checked against available data

Legal status — source text

No judicial proceedings

Attribution

Direct responsibility for his statements

Maurer met the Chinese ambassador without prior consultation while Parliament was examining closer ties with Taiwan. China's publicity surrounding the visit prompted criticism of its diplomatic exploitation.

State of the evidence

Visit and Chinese communications documented

Legal status — source text

No judicial proceedings

Attribution

Direct involvement as a former Federal Councillor

Maurer described the invasion of Ukraine as a proxy war between Russia and the West or NATO. The wording provoked outrage among elected representatives who considered that it diluted Russian responsibility.

State of the evidence

Public statement documented

Legal status — source text

No judicial proceedings

Attribution

Directly implicated

Maurer opposed using frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine, citing private property and the rule of law. His position was criticised as excessively protective of Russian interests.

State of the evidence

Public position documented

Legal status — source text

No judicial proceedings

Attribution

Direct responsibility as Finance Minister

While announcing his departure, Maurer joked about the sex of his successor by using the pronoun 'es'. The remark was criticised as disrespectful towards non-binary and transgender people.

State of the evidence

Recorded public statement

Legal status — source text

No judicial proceedings

Attribution

Directly implicated

The reform of anti-money-laundering legislation was criticised as insufficient, particularly in relation to lawyers and advisers. Public Eye targeted Maurer in a satirical campaign; however, he had warned Parliament that excluding advisers would weaken the framework.

State of the evidence

Legislative debate and NGO criticism documented

Legal status — source text

No personal criminal wrongdoing alleged

Attribution

Institutional responsibility as head of the Federal Department of Finance

Maurer appeared wearing a Freedom Trychler T-shirt, associated with a group opposing COVID measures, while the Federal Council was promoting vaccination. Elected representatives accused him of undermining the campaign and the principle of collegiality.

State of the evidence

Photograph and political reactions documented

Legal status — source text

No judicial proceedings

Attribution

Directly implicated

During the pandemic, Maurer was associated with the wing of the government favouring rapid reopening and publicly questioned unconditional reliance on experts, prompting controversy over the weight given to public health compared with economic costs.

State of the evidence

Government positions and statements documented

Legal status — source text

No judicial proceedings

Attribution

Direct responsibility for his positions in the Federal Council

Following the Panama Papers, Maurer defended the legitimate uses of offshore structures and opposed a hasty regulatory response, prompting criticism concerning the protection of the financial sector and wealthy taxpayers.

State of the evidence

Public statements documented

Legal status — source text

No personal judicial proceedings

The choice of the Gripen was challenged following the leak of unfavourable assessments of an earlier version and concerns over the programme's cost. Maurer maintained that the E/F version would meet Switzerland's needs; voters ultimately rejected the acquisition fund in 2014.

State of the evidence

Political controversy and published evaluation documents

Legal status — source text

No personal criminal proceedings identified

Attribution

Direct responsibility as Defence Minister and principal advocate of the project