Switzerland's supreme court on Thursday ruled that 13 alleged financiers of the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers were not guilty of supporting a criminal organisation and let them walk free. Bringing to an end a nine-year process, the court found that prosecutors had not proved the accused had supported a criminal organisation. It acquitted five of them completely and handed suspended sentences to the others for lower-level financial offences, the ATS news agency reported.
The 13 defendants - 12 Tamils or Swiss citizens of Tamil origin plus one German - stood accused of participating in or supporting a criminal organisation, fraud, forgery, money laundering and extortion. During their eight-week trial, which began in January and closed in March, public prosecutor Juliette Noto had called for jail sentences of up to six and a half years, ATS said.