Switzerland Not To Help India In Rheinmetall Bribery Investigations

Switzerland has denied offering support to India in investigating bribery cases involving two Swiss companies to win arms deals.

“As the requesting authority did not deliver information requested by international assistance law, the OAG (Office of the Attorney General) was by law not in a position to provide information,” an OAG spokesman was quoted as saying via an emailed comment to Reuters on Sunday, confirming a report by the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.

“The OAG would have assisted according to international assistance law if respective requirements would have been fulfilled by the Indian authorities,” he said.

India in 2012 placed Swiss-based Rheinmetall AG on a blacklist of arms firms banned from doing business in India following corruption allegations that it strongly denied.

The paper said another Swiss arms company also under investigation in India was affected by the decision not to grant legal assistance. Neither Swiss company could be reached immediately on the weekend for comment.