Abramovich was denied in Switzerland of secrecy

A Russian billionaire asked the Swiss court to forbid the local press to report any information about his attempt to obtain a residence permit, but the court refused, citing the fact that he was not engaged in censorship.
27.02.2018
RBC
Origin source
The Federal Court of Switzerland, which is the highest court of the country, refused to satisfy the claim of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich who asked to oblige local media to remove reports of his attempts to obtain a residence permit in Switzerland (the application was withdrawn in mid-2017), the publication SonntagsZeitung in the article " Lesson in Media Freedom. "

According to SonntagsZeitung, the refusal to prohibit the media in general to write about the Abramovich case the Swiss court (previously the court in Zurich forbade the publication of detailed information on the request for a residence permit and the refusal of it, allowing publication of general information) was explained by concern for freedom of speech and reluctance to assume the duties of a censor .

"Freedom of the media is one of the central elements of freedom of speech, it plays the role of a liaison between the state and society and helps to ensure control over the authorities," the decision of the Federal Court cites SonntagsZeitung.

The document also notes that, being one of the richest people in the world, Abramovich should answer more questions than an ordinary person. To top it off, the court ordered Abramovich to pay 5,000 Swiss francs to pay court costs.

SonntagsZeitung was assured that they would continue the struggle to completely lift the ban on publishing information about Abramovich's attempts to obtain a residence permit in Switzerland.

In early February, SonntagsZeitung reported that Abramovich wanted to settle in the Bane community, which includes the Verbier ski resort. The application was submitted to the municipality of the community, as well as to the Population and Migration Service of the canton of Valais.

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