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The purpose of this decision is to support legal mutual assistance between Switzerland and Ukraine.
Switzerland has extended for one year the asset freeze in relation to former president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and his entourage in the amount of 70 million Swiss francs.
"Today, the Swiss Federal Council decided to extend for one year the preventive freeze on the assets of ousted President Yanukovych and his entourage (approx. CHF 70 million)," the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine wrote on Twitter.
The purpose of this decision is "to support the judicial cooperation" between Switzerland and Ukraine.
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As UNIAN reported earlier, in February 2014, the Swiss Federal Council (Government) decided to freeze the accounts of about 20 persons in the banks of the Confederation, in particular those of Vitkor Yanukovych and his son Oleksandr, as well as Serhiy Arbuzov, Mykola Azarov, and other members of the former Ukrainian government.
Last time Switzerland extended the asset freeze was on December 20, 2018.
Switzerland is awaiting judicial decisions against representatives of the Yanukovych regime to expedite the return of stolen assets to Ukraine.
On December 15, 2016, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation in Ukraine, Guillaume Scheurer, emphasized that the return of assets without court rulings establishing their illegal origin was unlikely.