Swiss president faulted in House probe over media leaks

GENEVA: Swiss President Alain Berset was partially faulted in a parliamentary inquiry which concluded on Friday that sensitive information leaked from his office had impacted government decisions during the pandemic.

The probe was announced last January amid suspicion of significant leaks of confidential information from the Swiss health ministry as the Covid-19 pandemic raged. The affair, dubbed “Coronaleaks” and “Bersetgate” by Swiss media, revolved around how much Health Minister Berset -- who currently holds the country´s rotating one-year presidency and was the face of the government´s Covid response -- knew and what impact the leaks had on government decisions.

The investigation was opened after reports emerged that Berset´s former communications chief had, at the height of the pandemic, systematically leaked information to Ringier, one of Switzerland´s largest media houses, about confidential government plans for measures to counter the virus, including around vaccines and the reopening of businesses. Some 200 articles published by 24 different outlets had contained information based on these “indiscretions”, the investigators told a press conference.