International Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
LENLAW advises and represents private individuals, companies, as well as states and government institutions in international mutual legal assistance proceedings involving Switzerland. We represent affected parties in cases involving the production of bank records, the collection of evidence, and the seizure of assets, and we assist foreign governments in obtaining evidence and securing assets in Switzerland.
Mutual Legal Assistance Measures in Switzerland
If you or your company are the subject of a foreign request for legal assistance, we will review the legality of the measures ordered and represent your interests before the relevant Swiss authorities.
Our activities include, in particular:
- Collection and Transmission of Bank and Business Records
- Interrogations and Further Evidence-Gathering in Switzerland
- Seizure and Preservation of Assets
- Exercise of Procedural Rights and Review of the Admissibility and Scope of Mutual Legal Assistance
- Appeals against final orders and, to the extent permitted by law, interim orders
Support for Foreign Countries and Government Agencies
We advise foreign governments and law enforcement agencies that rely on evidence or assets in Switzerland as part of their investigations.
We assist with identifying relevant evidence, preparing requests for mutual legal assistance, and coordinating between Swiss and foreign legal proceedings. If necessary, we also analyze and organize extensive bodies of evidence.
Mutual Legal Assistance and Asset Repatriation
International mutual legal assistance plays an important role in the seizure and return of assets obtained through criminal activity. We examine the legal options for seizing assets in Switzerland and, subject to the statutory requirements, returning them to the requesting state or to the rightful claimants.
Publications and Insights
From Geneva to Lima: The Swiss Connection in Operation Car Wash
How does evidence gathered in Switzerland find its way into foreign criminal proceedings? Using the Odebrecht corruption scandal as an example, this article highlights the challenges posed by international mutual legal assistance and explains how Stefan Lenz assisted Peruvian law enforcement authorities in analyzing the Swiss evidence.
The Restitution of Ill-Gotten Assets: An Analysis of the Swiss Approach
What legal options are available for repatriating assets obtained through criminal activity from Switzerland? In an academic book chapter, Nadja Capus and Stefan Mbiyavanga examine international mutual legal assistance, Swiss criminal proceedings, and other instruments for the forfeiture and restitution of unlawfully obtained assets.
Contact Person
Our attorneys have specialized experience in cross-border criminal proceedings and mutual legal assistance proceedings.
Contact
Do you need legal assistance with a criminal, white-collar crime, or international case? We’ll review your situation and discuss with you how we can advise or represent you.