Swiss court rejects complaint from Marcos supporters

Switzerland has been blocking 35 million dollars in accounts held by a Marcos aide and his widow Imelda. She and friends have sued Switzerland with the aim of retrieving the money and certain bank documents.

Their argument was that the offences that Marcos was charged with have fallen under the statute of limitations. The Federal Court ruled that the Swiss statute does not apply to seized bank documents and that Philippine law applied to the frozen Marcos accounts.

In the Philippines there is no statute of limitations with regard to claims for funds stolen from the state by civil servants. The Swiss court nevertheless advised the Manila government to press ahead with its case saying the accounts could not be kept frozen forever.

Swiss prosecutors in Zurich froze accounts held by a Marcos aide and his wife in 1986 upon request from the Philippine authorities but these took no further action for 14 years.

Upon prodding from Swiss prosecutors, the Philippine authorities last March requested bank documents to be handed to them and the freeze on Marcos accounts to be maintained.

(la/dpa)