Attorneys for the Simon Wiesenthal Center have filed a class-action suit on behalf of Holocaust victims and their heirs against Swiss banks that may be holding the claimants’ undisclosed assets.
The move comes as other parties, including the World Jewish Congress and the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, also are pressuring Switzerland to disclose the extent of their cooperation with the Nazis during the war, the fate of assets belonging to Holocaust victims deposited in Swiss bank accounts and the whereabouts of looted Nazi gold purchased by Swiss banks.
Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, the center’s two chief executives, notified Carlo Jagmetti, the Swiss ambassador to the United States, of the action and urged his government to:
Voluntarily freeze all assets in dormant or questionable accounts that may have been opened by Nazi officials, front organizations or businesses.
Mandate the complete cooperation of all Swiss government agencies and private financial institutions in opening their records on transactions with Germany or German businesses during the Nazi period.
Appoint a historian or panel of historians to review such transactions.
Convene a “truth commission,” similar to the one established by the South African government. For one year, the Swiss commission could grant complete civil and criminal immunity to persons who candidly report on Swiss financial involvements with Nazi Germany.
Agree to the jurisdiction of U.S. courts for a final review of possible collaboration by Swiss banks with Nazi Germany.
Cooper said the involvement of American courts was necessary to prevent Swiss banks from exploiting Swiss laws to delay and block action on claims.
Estimates on the value of accounts in Swiss banks deposited by Holocaust victims and Nazi leaders, businesses and collaborators may be as high as $30 billion, said Cooper.
The Wiesenthal Center has also launched an independent investigation on collaboration between Swiss banks and Nazi Germany.
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