The European Court of Human Rights has reprimanded Switzerland for freezing an Iraqi man’s assets without a fair hearing. In Tuesday’s Grand Chamber judgment, the court in Strasbourg, France, found that Switzerland had denied an Iraqi businessman the right to a fair hearing after freezing his personal and business assets located in Switzerland. It also says that the Swiss authorities should have verified the sanctions list drawn up by the United Nations Security Council. During Saddam Hussein’s regime, the man had served as the chief financial officer of Iraq’s secret service. As a result, his name as well as that of his business had appeared on a list of people and entities subject to UN sanctions. In a press release, the court stated that Switzerland had “had a duty” to ensure that the list was not arbitrary. “The Federal Court had merely verified that the applicants’ names actually appeared on the Sanctions Committee’s lists and that the assets concerned belonged ...
