Feature story - 28 January, 2005
In June and November 2004, Greenpeace International released two reports on the activities of the timber company Danzer Group and its African subsidiary Interholco. These documents showed that the Liberian trading partners of the Danzer Group, with headquarters in Baar (Canton of Zug, Switzerland), were involved in highly questionable activities.
As late as last year Interholco still traded with Gus
Kouwenhoven, whois accused of playing a key role in arms
trafficking in Liberia and hastherefore been banned from travelling
by the UN Security Council. Inthe meantime, the Swiss Federal
Council has imposed stricter measureswith regards to Liberia and
imposed financial sanctions against GusKouwenhoven and other
individuals.
On the basis of two complaints filed by Greenpeace
Switzerlandagainst Danzer Group's subsidiary Interholco and other
personsinvolved, the Swiss Attorney General began a formal
investigation intocompanies of the Danzer Group, as well as
individuals. The complaintsaccused Danzer Group of being involved
in: 1) bribery of foreign publicofficials, and; 2) suspected
forgery.
On 21 December 2004, the Office of the Attorney General ordered
theclosure of the preliminary investigation into the alleged
bribery offoreign public officials (1). All official documents,
including theaforementioned decision, were handed over to the
public prosecutor'soffice of the Canton (District) of Zug,
Switzerland. The complaint ofsuspected forgery (2) still remains to
be investigated by the competentauthorities of the Canton
(District) of Zug. The documents submitted byGreenpeace to the
Office of the Attorney General support the suspicionthat employees
of a Danzer Group company in Switzerland were involvedin the
forgery of official government certificates.
Greenpeace has not yet been given the grounds upon which
theAttorney General closed the preliminary investigation into the
allegedbribery of foreign public officials (1). Greenpeace only
filed thecomplaint and therefore does not enjoy the rights of a
party in thelegal proceedings. Danzer Group has so far refused to
provideGreenpeace with a copy of the Attorney General's decision.
Furthermore,the Danzer Group has not given a satisfactory
explanation of theevidence put forward by Greenpeace in its
reports. The complaints tothe Attorney General by Greenpeace, in
particular with regards to theactivities as described in the travel
report written by one of thedirectors of the Danzer Group, remains
unexplained.
Greenpeace has obtained further documents indicating that
Interholco(a subsidiary of the Danzer Group) traded Liberian timber
from theOriental Timber Company (OTC), although the Danzer Group,
when askeddirectly, denied trading with companies involved in arms
trafficking.Interholco also maintained close trading relationships
with theCameroon company, MMG which has been documented of illegal
loggingactivities.
Greenpeace will continue to closely scrutinise the activities of
theDanzer Group. As a leading timber company Danzer Grup should
only beinvolved in the supply of legal and sustainable timber, as
it claims tobe in its reports.
Read the updated Danzer report from 2004