View source for Peter Friederich

{{Short description|Former Swiss diplomat and criminal}}
{{Orphan|date=November 2015}}

'''Peter Friederich''' (born 1942 in [[St Gallen]]) is a former [[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[ambassador]] to [[Luxembourg]].

He was a career diplomat, working in the Swiss Foreign Ministry since 1971 and had served as ambassador to [[Vietnam]] and [[Cuba]]. He was made ambassador to Luxembourg in December 1999.

In July 2002, he was arrested for assisting [[Illegal drugs trade|drug smugglers]], [[embezzlement]] and [[fraud]].  During his time as an ambassador, Friederich invested money on behalf of friends in the [[stock market]]. He would promise a higher than average return on the investments. After the stock market crash in 2000, he lost [[Swiss franc|CHF]]5 million. He was arrested after CHF2.37 million was deposited into his private bank account by [[Antonio Florido Sosa]], a [[Spain|Spanish]] citizen who is thought to be involved in drugs trade and [[money laundering]]. The money was then transferred to various bank accounts that Swiss prosecutors claim were the accounts of people involved with drugs or money laundering.

His trial began on May 8, 2005 in [[Federal Criminal Court]] in [[Bellinzona]]. He was convicted and sentenced to three and a half years in prison.<ref>[http://factiva.com/pfa/newsletter/june.htm PFA Newsletter<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024145637/http://www.factiva.com/pfa/newsletter/june.htm |date=2007-10-24 }}</ref>

==References==
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2164052.stm Swiss court checks envoy drugs claim]. Retrieved 10 May 2005

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friederich, Peter}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Switzerland to Cuba]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Switzerland to Vietnam]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Switzerland to Luxembourg]]
[[Category:Swiss people convicted of money laundering]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Swiss prisoners and detainees]]


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