GENEVA: Swiss prosecutors are looking into a series of bizarre deposit
as toilets in a bank and three restaurants here were blocked by tens of
thousands of euros in high-denomination banknotes last Monday.
"We are not so interested in the motive but we want to be sure of
the origin of the money," spokesman Vincent Derouand said, adding that
neither throwing money away nor blocking a toilet was a crime.
The Tribune de Geneve newspaper, which first reported the unusual
deposit, said the first blockage occurred in the toilet serving the vault at
UBS bank in Geneva's financial district, and three nearby bistros found their
facilities bunged up with €500 notes a few days later.
Derouand said two people had agreed to compensate the restaurants for
the costs of the blockage, and the restaurants had withdrawn a complaint that
they made when the incident happened in May.
The cash was confiscated during the investigation and it was unclear
who would get it if it was found to be lawful. There was no immediate reason to
think it was dirty money, Derouand said.
CNN later reported that CCTV footage led investigators to two Spanish
women, with Derouand saying that a lawyer for the women, who were not
identified, confirmed the cash belonged to them.
According to the Tribune de Geneve, investigators believe the Spanish
women kept the cash in a safety deposit box years ago.
It also said that a lawyer representing the people who flushed the
notes came by and compensated those affected for the cost of plumbing repairs.
The European Central Bank said last year it had decided to discontinue
the €500 note because of concerns that it was being used too often for illicit
activities including money laundering.
A UBS spokesman declined to comment. – Reuters
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