Former Graubünden official extradited to Switzerland from Italy

The 70-year-old former debt-collection and bankruptcy official from Upper Engadine, arrested on 8 June in Italy, has been extradited to Switzerland. The Federal Office of Justice confirmed to RSI that the handover to Swiss authorities took place on Monday, 10 August.

The man had been sought under an international arrest warrant issued in 2020 by the Graubünden prosecutor's office. He was traced to Formia, where he had been hospitalised. Italian police identified and arrested him, ending years on the run that have now culminated in his extradition to Switzerland.

Nine years of investigation

Graubünden investigators have been looking into the former official since 2016, over breach of duty in public office and a series of property offences. According to prosecutors, the alleged conduct took place over a decade and caused total damage of around half a million francs to public funds.

The man's trail had gone cold for years. In February 2017, the Graubünden cantonal police issued a missing-person alert, without result. Only nine years later did a hospital stay in Italy make it possible to trace and identify him, eventually leading to his arrest and handover to Swiss authorities.

The former official is now at the disposal of Graubünden justice, which must establish his responsibility in running the debt-collection and bankruptcy office. The case now moves from the investigation phase to a possible indictment. The presumption of innocence applies to him.

The case concerns a public office that handles significant sums on behalf of creditors and debtors. Half a million francs in damage accumulated over ten years, before the irregularity came to light, raises questions about the internal controls cantonal administrations apply to such functions. It remains to be seen how periodic checks failed to catch the alleged irregularities sooner, and what corrective measures the Graubünden prosecutor's office intends to propose to Graubünden taxpayers once the investigation concludes.