Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd fears that new inconsistencies are emerging within Ruag. In the press, she expressed her annoyance at the latest affair involving the armaments group.
A basis of trust is necessary for the government and Ruag to work together, she declared on Wednesday in the German-language papers of the Tamedia Group. The trust is still there, "but now I need to know exactly what happened", she said of the investigation she commissioned last week.
This external investigation relates to Ruag's purchase of 96 Leopard tanks in Italy and the signing of a purchase contract for these tanks with the German company Rheinmetall. This contract was signed before a formal request for sale had been submitted.
"As a lawyer, this upset me," commented the Federal Councillor. From a purely legal point of view, the move was legitimate, she added, "but, personally, I would have made the formal request first".