ZURICH, May 12 Reuters The Swiss government on Thursday reported 6.3 billion Swiss francs 6.33 billion worth of Russian assets frozen under sanctions to punish Moscow39;s invasion of Ukraine, a drop from early April as around 3.4 billion francs in provisionally blocked assets were released.
The figure marked a decrease from roughly 7.5 billion Swiss francs in funds the government reported frozen on April 7. Government official Erwin Bollinger pointed to fewer funds 2.2 billion francs newly frozen than those that had been released.
We can39;t freeze funds if we do not have sufficient grounds, Bollinger, a senior official at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO agency overseeing sanctions, told journalists.
Pressure has increased on Switzerland a popular destination for Moscow39;s elite and a holding place for Russian wealth to more quickly identify and freeze assets of hundreds of sanctioned Russians.
The U.S. Helsinki Commission, a governmentfunded independent commission which looks at security, cooperation and human rights issues in Europe, in early May called Switzerland a leading enabler of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his cronies, who the commission said used Swiss secrecy laws to hide and protect the proceeds of their crimes.
The Swiss government rejected the accusations in the strongest possible terms, while Swiss President Ignazio Cassis had requested the U.S. government correct this misleading impression immediately during a telephone…