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CRIME

Swiss artist’s daughter charged in mum’s death

French authorities have charged the daughter of the late Swiss artist Rémy Zaugg with murder following the death of her 69-year-old mother in January near Mulhouse in Alsace, France.

Published: 18 March 2014 11:15 CET
Swiss artist's daughter charged in mum's death
Michèle Zaugg-Röthlisberger, widow of Swiss artist and critic Rémy Zaugg. Photo: France 3

But they have been unable to question the accused, in her 40s, because she was committed to a psychiatric hospital, according to a report on Monday.

“She has been indicted on the basis of the information from the inquiry,” Mulhouse prosecutor Hervé Robin told Swiss news agency ATS.

Michèle Zaugg-Röthlisberger, widow of Zaugg, was found dead in an outbuilding near her home on January 21st with wounds to the head.

The only daughter of the Zaugg couple was actively sought by police who discovered her three days later in the family property in Pfastatt, a suburb of Mulhouse.

The woman was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Prosecutor Robin acknowledged that given her “mental state” for the moment she cannot be questioned and “we don’t know when this will be possible”.

She was indicted as a “legal precaution” to guarantee her availability to the court, he told ATS.

The daughter had reportedly been in conflict with her mother following the death of the artist in 2005.

France 3 television said the conflict was over the artist's legacy.

Last October, the younger woman was released from a stint in a psychiatric hospital.

Zaugg was renowned as a “visionary” figure in the contemporary art scene.

Painter, sculptor and critic, he directed a retrospective art show dedicated to fellow Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti in Paris in 1991.

He also collaborated with well-known architects, including Basel-based firm Herzog and de Meuron, which designed his atelier in Pfastatt.

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CRIME

‘Your permit is invalid’: Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

Scores of foreign residents have received an email recently telling them their residency rights in Switzerland have been revoked.

Published: 26 April 2024 11:17 CEST
Updated: 2 May 2024 15:04 CEST
'Your permit is invalid': Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

A number of foreign nationals, especially in the German-speaking part of the country, have received an official-looking letter, purportedly from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) informing them that the Free Movement of People agreement between Switzerland and the EU has been nullified, and therefore “your residence permit is no longer valid.”

Faced with enquiries from concerned recipients, SEM responded that the letter is fake, advising recipients to ignore it and, above all, not to click on the QR code on the top.

“Fake letters from the SEM have been circulating since the beginning of this week,” the immigration authority said on its website as well as on X (formerly Twitter).  

“The letter has no impact on the recipient’s  residence status,” SEM added.

Fake jobs, real threats

However, this is only the latest scam perpetrated in the name of SEM.

There have been others in the past.

For instance, many foreigners have also received emails from addresses swissimmigration@consultant or eu_immigration@consultant, that pretend to be the Swiss immigration authority.

“In most cases, a fictitious job in the hotel industry is offered, with the senders demanding payment of 300 to 1,000 euros for a permit in Switzerland and for health and accident insurance,” SEM reported.

The first clue that this email doesn’t come from  SEM, which is part of Switzerland’s government, is that it is asking for payment in euros. If the scammers were smarter, they’d demand Swiss francs.

“These e-mails do not come from the SEM and should be considered as an attempt at fraud,” the agency said. 

Extortion attempt

And a few years ago, a number of foreigners received emails coming allegedly from SEM, Swiss border control authorities, or even the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol).

They threatened to revoke the victim’s residence permit or even expel them from the country altogether if they didn’t pay a certain sum of money into an anonymous account.

Needless to say, no government authority would ever resort to blackmail or demand payment for such ‘services’.

So a good rule to remember (for foreigners and Swiss alike) is that if threats and pressure are involved, letters / emails / phone calls ( WhatsUp messages are more than likely scams.
 
READ ALSO: The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of 

Don’t respond

SEM as well as police urge everyone contacted by scammers, by whatever means to:

  • Ignore these messages by hanging up the phone and / or deleting emails, moving them to the Spam folder
  • Never give out your credit card number or bank account information to people you don’t know
  • If you did give your card number, contact your credit card company immediately to have the card blocked. Likewise, if you gave out your banking details, get in touch with your bank.
  • In the event of threats of extortion attempts, consider filing a criminal complaint. You can search for police stations in your area on the Police website. 
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