Ex-Raiffeisen boss Pierin Vincenz: Six-year sentence sought in appeal
Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Prosecutors are seeking a six-year prison sentence for former Raiffeisen bank boss Pierin Vincenz and his ex-associate Beat Stocker in their appeal trial.
- The Zurich court previously sentenced Vincenz to three years and nine months and Stocker to four years for fraud, embezzlement, and bribery.
- The prosecution argues the previous sentences were too lenient, particularly regarding expense report violations linked to alleged illicit shareholdings.
Prosecutors in Zurich are pushing for harsher penalties in the appeal trial of former Raiffeisen bank chief Pierin Vincenz and his ex-associate Beat Stocker, demanding six-year prison sentences for both. This echoes the initial sentences sought in the first instance trial four years ago.
As in 2022, in first instance, the prosecutor has requested six years of firm prison for Pierin Vincenz and for his former associate Beat Stocker.
In April 2022, Vincenz was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, and Stocker received a four-year sentence. Both were found guilty of fraud, aggravated disloyal management, and passive private corruption. The initial judgment also included separate, suspended fines for abusive expense reports.
According to him, the reduction of sentence pronounced in first instance due to media coverage was not justified.
The prosecution contends that the previous court's decision to reduce sentences, partly due to media coverage, was unjustified. They also criticize the separate, suspended penalties for expense report violations, arguing these offenses were intrinsically linked to the alleged illicit shareholdings that enriched the defendants. Vincenz and Stocker are accused of illegally profiting by acquiring stakes in companies before influencing their acquisition by Raiffeisen or its credit card subsidiary, Aduno, where Stocker was CEO and Vincenz chaired the board.
The prosecution criticizes also the fact that the previous jurisdiction had inflicted on the expense reports component separate and suspended fines.
While the prosecution requested less severe sentences for other co-defendants involved in the appeal for complicity, they maintained that the initial judgments for these individuals were also too lenient.
Raiffeisen is leading a campaign against me to destroy me.
Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.