Caterpillar: Swiss Prosecutor Office does not proceed The Swiss Federal Prosecutor Office(MPC) decided not to proceed in a case filed by TRIAL in 2011 against the company Caterpillar Sàrl. The company based in Geneva, whose bulldozers were used by the Israeli Defense Forces to destroy Palestinian homes, was accused by TRIAL of complicity in war crimes. Even if it considered that war crimes were actually committed with this gear, the MPC yet considered that Swiss jurisprudence does not allow holding a company accountable unless the equipment sold inevitably leads to the commission of a crime. For TRIAL, the jurisprudence on which the decision is based is questionable and tricky as it sends a negative signal to companies producing goods that can be used in war crimes. However, the MPC’s decision has the merit of setting in a milestone that war crimes are committed with Caterpillar bulldozers. The company will now have to take responsibility for its commercial practice that, if not judicially sanctioned, remains nonetheless blameworthy. Find more about this case in the Redress latest update in International crimes (p.5) -- redress.org/downloads/1407euupdate.pdf
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 07:57:19 +0000
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