Dino Bellasi

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Dino Bellasi (* 1960 in Basel ) is a former Swiss customs officer and officer ( captain ). He became known in Switzerland through embezzlement in the millions, which caused an international sensation due to the alleged involvement of the Swiss intelligence service .

Dino Bellasi grew up in Basel and trained as a customs officer and as a militia officer in the Fusilier Battalion 97. He then became a staff secretary with the rank of captain. From 1988 he worked for the Swiss secret service, where he organized and accounted for training courses. In this position he succeeded in embezzling a total of 8.9 million Swiss francs, thereby financing a lavish lifestyle and a large collection of weapons. Even after he left the service in 1998, Bellasi was still able to withdraw funds. The incident was discovered when the troop accounts were checked in August 1999 after Bellasi's successor became suspicious. On August 12, 1999, Carla del Ponte intervened from the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office . Dino Bellasi and his (later exonerated) wife were arrested the following day at Zurich Airport.

Dino Bellasi initially incriminated his superiors. The head of the secret service, Peter Regli , had commissioned him to finance a “shadow intelligence service ” that was independent of the government. On August 22, 1999, Federal Councilor Adolf Ogi described the dimensions of the affair “with the key words arms storage, arms trade, organized crime and secret army” and announced that Regli would be given an immediate leave of absence. In late August, Bellasi retracted his allegations; the investigations against Regli and other cadres were discontinued. The administrative investigation ordered by Federal Councilor Ogi relieved and rehabilitated Regli. Bellasi was sentenced to six years in prison for fraud , forgery , false accusations and other offenses and was released early in August 2003 after four years.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c The Bellasi affair in fast motion. In: swissinfo.ch. January 27, 2003.
  2. ↑ Christian Mensch: The spy who came from the milieu. In: Weltwoche , March 2003.
personal data
SURNAME Bellasi, dino
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss former customs officer and officer (captain)
DATE OF BIRTH 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH Basel