Vaud prosecutor closes leak investigations in Dittli case

The public prosecutor's office in Switzerland's Vaud canton has dropped investigations into two separate cases of leaked official information. The probes concerned breaches of official secrecy related to confidential details that surfaced in the media before two reports were officially presented in April and September 2025.

The prosecutor's office had opened two criminal proceedings for violation of official secrecy. Newspaper articles suggested that several individuals, including at least two members of the Grand Council, had provided information to the author. The leaks pertained to a report by former Neuchâtel State Councilor Jean Studer, which analyzed the former Department of Finance and Agriculture. This report was the primary reason the prosecutor's office initiated investigations into Vaud State Councilor Valérie Dittli. Studer's report highlighted improper interference in the tax assessments of wealthy taxpayers and a "seriously impaired collaboration" between Dittli and her Director General of Taxes.

The second report, compiled by independent expert François Paychère, revealed that the practice of tax deductions in the canton of Vaud between 2009 and 2021 was not in compliance with the law. Dittli herself had uncovered this unlawful practice by the tax authority, which initiated the investigation.

During the investigations, the prosecutor's office interviewed approximately 20 people, including members of the State Council. Witnesses, including former members of the Grand Council and the journalist who wrote the relevant article, were also questioned in connection with the Paychère report. The journalist confirmed the content of his article, while all members of the Grand Council denied leaking information to the media, according to the prosecutor's office.

Following the hearings, the prosecutor's office acknowledged that the statements from the parliamentarians and the journalist were "incompatibly contradictory" at this stage. Based on the investigations conducted so far, it was not possible to determine who had leaked the information to the media. Consequently, Attorney General Eric Kaltenrieder decided to provisionally close both investigations.

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incompatibly contradictory