#1158: SWISS COURT LIFTS BLOCKAGE OF DUVALIER SECRETARY'S BANK ACCOUNT (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

 Lausanne, Nov 30 (EFE) --  Switzerland's Federal Court ruled Tuesday that
a former secretary to  Haiti's deposed leader Jean Claude Duvalier could
have access to two  bank accounts which have been blocked since 1986. 
   In its ruling, the court denied an appeal by the Federal Police Office 
which sought to continue the blockage. 
   The name of the former secretary was not released, nor the amount of 
money in the accounts. 
   According to judicial sources, the court made the ruling because it had 
not received any response from the Haitian government to his requests  for
information on outstanding cases against Duvalier and his inner  circle. 
   Haiti has not even told the Federal Court if the cases remain open. 
They involve capital flight and date back to 1986 when Duvalier was  forced
to step down and fled to exile in France following a popular  uprising. 
   The only information the court had was the decision in 1993 by a 
Haitian judge that the secretary could recover his property. 
   The funds are in accounts in two Zurish banks and the Federal Police 
Office said there are no other such accounts belonging to either  Duvalier
or his cronies.