Geneva - The Swiss government has decided to keep 760 million Swiss francs ($858 million) in Egyptian and Tunisian assets frozen for three more years.
Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council, which includes the president and other ministers, says the decision applies to the 700 million francs held by former President Hosni Mubarak and his aides and another 60 million francs that were linked to Tunisia's former autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
The Council said in a statement Wednesday that the “aim of this extension is to provide more time for criminal investigations in Tunisia and Egypt into the origin of these assets.”
And by granting the extension, the Council said, the Swiss government “is thereby taking account of the political transition in the two countries.” - Sapa-AP