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- Art. 3 FC
- Art. 5a FC
- Art. 6 FC
- Art. 10 FC
- Art. 16 FC
- Art. 17 FC
- Art. 20 FC
- Art. 22 FC
- Art. 29a FC
- Art. 30 FC
- Art. 32 FC
- Art. 42 FC
- Art. 43 FC
- Art. 43a FC
- Art. 55 FC
- Art. 56 FC
- Art. 60 FC
- Art. 68 FC
- Art. 75b FC
- Art. 77 FC
- Art. 96 para. 2 lit. a FC
- Art. 110 FC
- Art. 117a FC
- Art. 118 FC
- Art. 123b FC
- Art. 136 FC
- Art. 166 FC
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- Art. 11 CO
- Art. 12 CO
- Art. 50 CO
- Art. 51 CO
- Art. 84 CO
- Art. 143 CO
- Art. 144 CO
- Art. 145 CO
- Art. 146 CO
- Art. 147 CO
- Art. 148 CO
- Art. 149 CO
- Art. 150 CO
- Art. 701 CO
- Art. 715 CO
- Art. 715a CO
- Art. 734f CO
- Art. 785 CO
- Art. 786 CO
- Art. 787 CO
- Art. 788 CO
- Transitional provisions to the revision of the Stock Corporation Act of June 19, 2020
- Art. 808c CO
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- Art. 2 PRA
- Art. 3 PRA
- Art. 4 PRA
- Art. 6 PRA
- Art. 10 PRA
- Art. 10a PRA
- Art. 11 PRA
- Art. 12 PRA
- Art. 13 PRA
- Art. 14 PRA
- Art. 15 PRA
- Art. 16 PRA
- Art. 17 PRA
- Art. 19 PRA
- Art. 20 PRA
- Art. 21 PRA
- Art. 22 PRA
- Art. 23 PRA
- Art. 24 PRA
- Art. 25 PRA
- Art. 26 PRA
- Art. 27 PRA
- Art. 29 PRA
- Art. 30 PRA
- Art. 31 PRA
- Art. 32 PRA
- Art. 32a PRA
- Art. 33 PRA
- Art. 34 PRA
- Art. 35 PRA
- Art. 36 PRA
- Art. 37 PRA
- Art. 38 PRA
- Art. 39 PRA
- Art. 40 PRA
- Art. 41 PRA
- Art. 42 PRA
- Art. 43 PRA
- Art. 44 PRA
- Art. 45 PRA
- Art. 46 PRA
- Art. 47 PRA
- Art. 48 PRA
- Art. 49 PRA
- Art. 50 PRA
- Art. 51 PRA
- Art. 52 PRA
- Art. 53 PRA
- Art. 54 PRA
- Art. 55 PRA
- Art. 56 PRA
- Art. 57 PRA
- Art. 58 PRA
- Art. 59a PRA
- Art. 59b PRA
- Art. 59c PRA
- Art. 62 PRA
- Art. 63 PRA
- Art. 67 PRA
- Art. 67a PRA
- Art. 67b PRA
- Art. 73 PRA
- Art. 73a PRA
- Art. 75 PRA
- Art. 75a PRA
- Art. 76 PRA
- Art. 76a PRA
- Art. 90 PRA
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- Vorb. zu Art. 1 FADP
- Art. 1 FADP
- Art. 2 FADP
- Art. 3 FADP
- Art. 5 lit. f und g FADP
- Art. 6 Abs. 6 and 7 FADP
- Art. 7 FADP
- Art. 10 FADP
- Art. 11 FADP
- Art. 12 FADP
- Art. 14 FADP
- Art. 15 FADP
- Art. 19 FADP
- Art. 20 FADP
- Art. 22 FADP
- Art. 23 FADP
- Art. 25 FADP
- Art. 26 FADP
- Art. 27 FADP
- Art. 31 para. 2 lit. e FADP
- Art. 33 FADP
- Art. 34 FADP
- Art. 35 FADP
- Art. 38 FADP
- Art. 39 FADP
- Art. 40 FADP
- Art. 41 FADP
- Art. 42 FADP
- Art. 43 FADP
- Art. 44 FADP
- Art. 44a FADP
- Art. 45 FADP
- Art. 46 FADP
- Art. 47 FADP
- Art. 47a FADP
- Art. 48 FADP
- Art. 49 FADP
- Art. 50 FADP
- Art. 51 FADP
- Art. 54 FADP
- Art. 57 FADP
- Art. 58 FADP
- Art. 60 FADP
- Art. 61 FADP
- Art. 62 FADP
- Art. 63 FADP
- Art. 64 FADP
- Art. 65 FADP
- Art. 66 FADP
- Art. 67 FADP
- Art. 69 FADP
- Art. 72 FADP
- Art. 72a FADP
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- Art. 2 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 3 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 4 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 5 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 6 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 7 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 8 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 9 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 11 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 12 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 25 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 29 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 32 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 33 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 34 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
FEDERAL CONSTITUTION
CODE OF OBLIGATIONS
FEDERAL LAW ON PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW
LUGANO CONVENTION
CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE
FEDERAL ACT ON POLITICAL RIGHTS
CIVIL CODE
FEDERAL ACT ON CARTELS AND OTHER RESTRAINTS OF COMPETITION
FEDERAL ACT ON INTERNATIONAL MUTUAL ASSISTANCE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS
DEBT ENFORCEMENT AND BANKRUPTCY ACT
FEDERAL ACT ON DATA PROTECTION
SWISS CRIMINAL CODE
CYBERCRIME CONVENTION
- I. Principle
- II. Use for the benefit of the aggrieved person under Art. 73 SCC
- III. The applicability mutatis mutandis of Art. 267, para. 3-6 CrimPC
- Bibliography
I. Principle
1 Pursuant to Art. 378, sentence 1, CrimPC, the public prosecutor (in the confiscation order pursuant to Art. 377, para. 2, CrimPC) or the court (if an appeal procedure under Art. 377, para. 4, sentence 1, CrimPC in conjunction with Art. 352 et seq. CrimPC) in the context of the independent forfeiture proceedings, the court (public prosecutor in the case of an objection procedure under Art. 377 para. 4 sentence 1 CrimPC in conjunction with Art. 352 et seq. CrimPC) also decides on the applications of the aggrieved person for the use of the forfeited objects and assets for their benefit. The substantive requirements for this claim of the aggrieved person are regulated in Art. 73 SCC.
II. Use for the benefit of the aggrieved person under Art. 73 SCC
A. Wording
2 Pursuant to Art. 73 para. 1 SCC (“Use for the benefit of the aggrieved party”), the court shall, at the request of the aggrieved party who has suffered loss or damage as a result of a felony or misdemeanor that is not covered by insurance, award the aggrieved party up to the amount of the damages or satisfaction determined by court order or settlement, in particular, seized property and assets or the proceeds from their realization, less the realization costs (lit. b), if it can be assumed that the offender will not compensate for the damage or provide satisfaction. However, the court may only order the use of the forfeited property for the benefit of the injured party if the injured party assigns the corresponding part of his claim to the state (Art. 73 para. 2 SCC).
B. Regulatory purpose
3 The purpose of Art. 73 SCC is to help the injured party to enforce his claim for damages by the state waiving a claim to which it is entitled. This provision establishes a claim of the injured party against the state in criminal proceedings. The state should not be able to enrich itself at the expense of the injured party, but rather should prioritize the rights of the injured party when confiscating assets. Accordingly, Art. 73 SCC grants the injured party a right to the awarded confiscated assets, provided that the conditions specified therein are met.
4 The assignment of the claim to the state as a prerequisite for the use of the assets for the benefit of the injured party (Art. 73 para. 2 SCC) also prevents the injured party from being able to benefit twice over from the award of the assets and the enforcement of the claim for compensation for their claim.
C. Capacity as an injured party
5 “Injured party” in the sense of Art. 73 SCC is any natural or legal private person who has suffered a disadvantage as a result of a criminal offense. The definition of “injured party” in Art. 73 SCC is thus broader than in the context of Art. 30 SCC and Art. 115 CrimPC. This status applies not only to the injured party, defined as the owner of the legal interest violated by the offense, but also to any third party who has a civil claim for compensation for the damage suffered. This includes both claims for damages and claims for satisfaction.
6 The right to claim damages within the meaning of Art. 73 SCC is primarily accorded to the directly aggrieved party who has a claim for damages under Art. 41 et seq. CO. Beyond the wording of Art. 73 SCC, an assignment can also be considered in favor of the indirectly aggrieved party (reflex aggrieved party) who has himself assumed the damage of the directly aggrieved party. However, an award to the indirect victim is only considered if the (direct) victim is fully satisfied and there are no better claims to the confiscated assets.
D. Requirements
1. Material requirements
7 The injured party's claim for use in his favor under SCC Art. 73 only applies to assets that are the result of a crime committed against him. The provision does not provide for solidarity between the injured parties.
8 There must be a twofold connection between the damage, the underlying offense and the values to be awarded. Firstly, the damage asserted under Art. 73 SCC must have been caused “by” the underlying offense, i.e. there must be a causal link between the damage and the underlying offense. Secondly, this initial offense must be the same as that from which the values to be awarded (seized items, etc.) originate. The common initial offense is thus the connecting link between the values to be awarded and the damage to be compensated. On the other hand, assets that are not related to the offense can only be used indirectly after seizure and SchKG enforcement of the compensation claim in favor of the injured party. According to the case law of the Federal Supreme Court, Art. 73 SCC is not designed to assist in the enforcement of claims for civil wrongs and to anticipate or secure the claim for them by circumventing the SchKG.
9 The application of Art. 73 SCC further requires that the amount of damages or satisfaction has been determined by a court or by settlement. In addition, the damage suffered must not have been covered by insurance and it must be expected that the offender will not compensate for the damage or pay satisfaction (Art. 73 para. 1 SCC).
2. Formal requirements
10 From a formal point of view, the use of the forfeited property for the benefit of the injured party requires, firstly, that the latter expressly requests such an allocation (Art. 73 para. 1 SCC) and, secondly, that he assigns the corresponding part of his claim to the state (Art. 73 para. 2 SCC). These conditions must be cumulatively fulfilled.
11 The injured party's application for assignment can be made both as part of the independent forfeiture proceedings before the public prosecutor's office and also initially (after any objection to the forfeiture order; see Art. 377 para. 2 and para. 4 sentence 1 CrimPC) before the court responsible for the main proceedings. The application for assignment can also be made in the pending appeal proceedings or even only after the confiscation decision has become legally binding.
12 If the confiscation decision is made in the context of a discontinuation (cf. Art. 320 para. 2 sentence 2 CrimPC), a criminal judgment (cf. Art. 81 para. 3 let. a and para. 4 let. b CrimPC), a summary penalty order (cf. Art. 353 para. 1 let. h CrimPC) or an independent forfeiture procedure under Art. 376 f. CrimPC, the question of use for the benefit of the aggrieved person under Article 378 CrimPC or Article 73 SCC may only arise at a later date, for example if the compensation claim (see Article 71 SCC) is only paid at a later date. In such a case, the decision on the use of the assets in favor of the aggrieved person must be made in a subsequent supplementary forfeiture order (in the sense of a subsequent judicial decision in accordance with Art. 363 et seq. CrimPC).
3. Legal claim to the award of confiscated assets
13 If the substantive and procedural requirements of Art. 73 SCC are met, the injured party has a legal claim to the award of the confiscated assets.
III. The applicability mutatis mutandis of Art. 267, para. 3-6 CrimPC
14 Art. 378, sentence 2 CrimPC declares Art. 267, para. 3-6 CrimPC to be applicable mutatis mutandis when deciding on the use in favor of the injured party in the independent forfeiture proceedings. However, this reference is unclear, since Art. 267 para. 3-6 CrimPC regulates the situation in which the seized objects or assets are not confiscated, while Art. 378 CrimPC concerns the use in favor of the injured party after confiscation. It must therefore be stated, in line with the prevailing legal opinion, that the reference contained in Art. 378, second sentence, CrimPC actually belongs in Art. 377, para. 3, CrimPC, which governs the return of the seized objects or assets to the entitled person in the absence of the conditions for confiscation.
About the author
Dr. iur. Tommaso Caprara, attorney-at-law, CAS Forensics, is a law clerk at the Second Criminal Division of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in Lausanne.
Bibliography
Baumann Florian, Kommentierung zu Art. 73 StGB; in: Niggli Marcel Alexander/Wiprächtiger Hans (Hrsg.), Basler Kommentar, Strafrecht, Band I, 4. Aufl., Basel 2019.
Baumann Florian, Kommentierung zu Art. 378 StPO, in: Niggli Marcel Alexander/Heer Marianne/Wiprächtiger Hans (Hrsg.), Basler Kommentar, Schweizerische Strafprozessordnung, 3. Aufl., Basel 2023.
Bernasconi Paolo, Kommentierung zu Art. 378 StPO, in: Bernasconi Paolo/Galliani Maria/Marcellini Luca/Meli Edy/Mini Mauro/Noseda John (Hrsg.), Commentario, Codice svizzero di procedura penale, Zürich/St. Gallen 2010.
Bommer Felix, Offensive Verletztenrechte im Strafprozess, Bern 2006.
Conti Christelle/Tunik Daniel, Kommentierung zu Art. 378 StPO, in: Jeanneret Yvan/Kuhn André/Perrier Depeursinge Camille (Hrsg.), Commentaire romand, Code de procédure pénale suisse, 2. Aufl., Basel 2019.
Hirsig-Vuilloz Madeleine, Kommentierung zu Art. 73 StGB, in: Moreillon Laurent/Macaluso Alain/Queloz Nicolas/Dongois Nathalie (Hrsg.), Commentaire Romand, Code pénal, Bd. I, 2. Aufl., Basel 2021.
Jositsch Daniel/Schmid Niklaus, Schweizerische Strafprozessordnung, Praxiskommentar, 4. Aufl., Zürich 2023.
Moreillon Laurent/Parein-Reymond Aude, Code de procédure pénale (CPP), Petit commentaire, 2. Aufl., Basel 2016.
Perrier Depeursinge Camille, Code de procédure pénale suisse (CPP) annoté, 2. Aufl., Basel 2020.
Piquerez Gérard/Macaluso Alain, Procédure pénale suisse, 3. Aufl., Zürich 2011.
Pitteloud Jo, Code de procédure pénale suisse (CPP), Commentaire à l'usage des praticiens, Zürich/St. Gallen 2012.
Schmid Niklaus, Kommentierung zu Art. 73 StGB, in: Schmid Niklaus (Hrsg.), Kommentar Einziehung, Organisiertes Verbrechen, Geldwäscherei, Band I, 2. Aufl., Zürich 2007.
Schwarzenegger Christian, Kommentierung zu Art. 378 StPO, in: Donatsch Andreas/Lieber Viktor/Summers Sarah/Wohlers Wolfgang (Hrsg.), Kommentar zur Schweizerischen Strafprozessordnung (StPO), 3. Aufl., Zürich 2020.
Thommen Marc, Kommentierung zu Art. 73 StGB, in: Jürg-Beat Ackermann (Hrsg.), Kommentar Kriminelles Vermögen - Kriminelle Organisationen, Band I, Zürich 2018.
Trechsel Stefan/Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel, Kommentierung zu Art. 73 StGB, in: Trechsel Stefan/Pieth Mark (Hrsg.), Schweizerisches Strafgesetzbuch, Praxiskommentar, 4. Aufl., Zürich 2021.
Wohlers Wolfgang, Kommentierung zu Art. 73 StGB, in: Wohlers Wolfgang/Godenzi Gunhild/Schlegel Stephan (Hrsg.), Schweizerisches Strafgesetzbuch, Handkommentar, 5. Aufl., Bern 2024.