The defense pleads the total acquittal of Pierin Vincenz
The lawyer for the former boss of the third largest banking group in Switzerland considers that the accusations made by the Public Prosecutor are unfounded.
Defense lawyer (right) pleaded for the full acquittal of former Raiffeisen bank boss Pierin Vincenz (left).
KEYSTONE/MICHAEL BUHOLZER
The defense of Pierin Vincenz, the former boss of the Raiffeisen bank, pleaded for the total acquittal of his client on Friday before the Zurich district court. All the reproaches formulated by the Public Ministry are unfounded, according to her.
Pierin Vincenz’s opinion was of course important within the decision-making bodies of the Raiffeisen bank and the credit card company Aduno. But it’s wrong to assume he could “do whatever he wants” as CEO of one and chairman of the board of the other, the lawyer said.
Consensus and consultation
Pierin Vincenz was not involved in the negotiations during these takeovers, said the lawyer for the former banker. All decisions were made by consensus and after consultation within management or the board of directors. “These are not decision-making bodies that would simply have followed Vincenz”.
At the beginning of his argument, the defense lawyer spoke of his client’s professional successes. Without him, the former peasant bank would not have become the third largest Swiss banking group. He also successfully ran the credit card company Aduno.
“Success makes people envious, it’s well known,” said the lawyer. This is undoubtedly what motivated the one who launched the investigation by violating professional secrecy. The Public Ministry “obviously did not open this investigation without being influenced by the media coverage”, he added. The investigation was carried out “with a zeal rarely seen”.
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