The statute of limitations looms over the Pierin Vincenz case even after the judge refuses to postpone criminal proceedings.
The former CEO of Raiffeisen, Pierin Vincenz, started off Tuesday's criminal trial by requesting a delay as two of his co-defendants had caught COVID-19.
Although the judge decided to go ahead anyway and add extra court dates in March, Zurich prosecutors are coming up against the statute of limitations, which is turning time into a key strategic factor given the complexity of the case.
The indictment runs to more than 350 pages after years of investigation and much of the proceedings on the first day involved procedural matters in a trial where Vincenz, long-time associate Beat Stocker, and five others are accused of enriching themselves with covert side deals while at Raiffeisen. They deny the charges.
Clock is Ticking
The fact that city prosecutors are pushing through with the public trial right in the middle of a fifth COVID-19 wave is just another sign of how important time has become.
Some of the deals under examination go back as far as 2006, which makes the 15 year statute of limitations for criminal indictments a significant hurdle for the prosecutors, although not yet an acute one.
The defense, on the other hand, is taking its time with the proceedings. They asked for renewed pre-trial proceedings and additional evidence. That all could take months, if not years.
Date in March
But right now the court is still focused on the immediate future.
One of the absentee defendants will be cross-examined on 9 March although another has received a full dispensation as a result of a neurological disorder.
