Key facts
The federal authorities seize assets as evidence, as security for the costs of criminal proceedings or as fines to be returned to the person suffering harm or for confiscation. The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) carried out a horizontal audit of selected federal organisations’ (Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, Federal Criminal Court, Federal Office of Justice, Federal Tax and Customs Administrations) management of seized assets. The SFAO concentrated on the practical aspects of managing seized assets. The differing legal bases did not form part of the audit. At the end of 2016, these units were responsible for approximately CHF 8.2 billion of assets. In recent years, the number of cases relating to international corruption and politically exposed persons’ assets in the audited units has in some cases increased.