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Switzerland Probes Milosevic-Linked Gold Imports From Yugoslavia
The Swiss federal government is investigating the import of 100 kilograms of gold from Yugoslavia on suspicion that it may be linked to former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.
Swiss Radio International quoted the country's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) as saying on Thursday that it was trying to trace the movement of the gold, valued at 1.4 million Swiss francs (about 820,000 US dollars), which was sold in Switzerland in 1999.
SECO is already investigating the import of a separate shipment of 173 kilograms of gold, which was imported through Zurich last year. The origin of the metal was subsequently traced back to a mine in Yugoslavia.
That inquiry is in response to claims by the Yugoslav authorities that Milosevic may have transferred an identical quantity of gold out of Yugoslavia between September 21 and November 21 last year.
There are further suspicions that the import may have contravened sanctions imposed against Yugoslavia between June 1999 and October 2000.
The National Bank of Yugoslavia said previously that the former leader had illegally exported more than 700 kilograms of gold.
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