Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland
Encyclopedia
The Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland
(FCC; , , ; ) is the court of first instance in cases subject to federal criminal jurisdiction
in Switzerland. It was created in 2002 in the course of a wide-ranging reform of the Swiss federal judiciary. Most of its judgements can be appealed to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
, organised crime and money laundering
of an intercantonal or international dimension.
In addition to adjudicating cases in these areas, the FCC has jurisdiction in certain specialised areas of criminal law, including crimes relating to nuclear material
or civil aviation
. It also reviews actions of the federal criminal prosecution authorities and decides conflicts of competence between the cantonal criminal prosecution authorities.
The court's eleven judges are elected by the Swiss Federal Assembly for a term of six years, with reelections being possible. As of 2007, they are:
. It is the first Swiss federal authority based in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino
.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(FCC; , , ; ) is the court of first instance in cases subject to federal criminal jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
in Switzerland. It was created in 2002 in the course of a wide-ranging reform of the Swiss federal judiciary. Most of its judgements can be appealed to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
Jurisdiction
Federal criminal jurisdiction covers the crimes enumerated in articles 336 and 337 of the Swiss Penal Code. These include crimes against federal interests (against federal institutions, by or against federal officials, etc.) as well as cases of white-collar crimeWhite-collar crime
Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
, organised crime and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
of an intercantonal or international dimension.
In addition to adjudicating cases in these areas, the FCC has jurisdiction in certain specialised areas of criminal law, including crimes relating to nuclear material
Nuclear material
Nuclear material refers to the metals uranium, plutonium, and thorium, in any form, according to the IAEA. This is differentiated further into "source material", consisting of natural and depleted uranium, and "special fissionable material", consisting of enriched uranium , uranium-233, and...
or civil aviation
Civil aviation
Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...
. It also reviews actions of the federal criminal prosecution authorities and decides conflicts of competence between the cantonal criminal prosecution authorities.
Organisation
The FCC consists of an appeals chamber that reviews the actions of subordinate authorities and a penal chamber that conducts trials.The court's eleven judges are elected by the Swiss Federal Assembly for a term of six years, with reelections being possible. As of 2007, they are:
Penal chamber
| Name | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Staub | FDP/PRD Free Democratic Party of Switzerland The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009.... |
President of the Court 2004-5, 2006-7 |
| Bernard Bertossa Bernard Bertossa Bernard Bertossa was Geneva's public prosecutor from 1990 to 2002. He signed the 1996 Appel de Genève against international money laundering and other financial criminal activities... |
SPS/PSS Social Democratic Party of Switzerland The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland.... |
Chamber vice president |
| Miriam Forni | SPS/PSS Social Democratic Party of Switzerland The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland.... |
|
| Sylvia Frei-Hasler | SVP/UDC Swiss People's Party The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of... |
|
| Daniel Kipfer Fasciati | GPS/PES Green Party of Switzerland The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:... |
|
| Peter Popp | CVP/PDC Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss... |
Chamber president |
| Walter Wüthrich | SPS/PSS Social Democratic Party of Switzerland The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland.... |
Appeals chamber
| Name | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Andreas J. Keller | CVP/PDC Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss... |
Vice President of the Court 2004-5, 2006-7 |
| Emanuel Hochstrasser | SVP/UDC Swiss People's Party The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of... |
|
| Barbara Ott | LPS/PLS Liberal Party of Switzerland The Liberal Party of Switzerland was a party with economically liberal policies. It was known as a party of the upper class. On 1 January 2009 it merged with the larger Free Democratic Party to establish FDP.The Liberals.... |
Chamber president |
Seat
The court took up its work on 4 April 2004 in BellinzonaBellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
. It is the first Swiss federal authority based in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
.
External links
- Website of the Federal Criminal Court
- Federal Law of 4 October 2002 on the Federal Criminal Court in German, French or Italian