Facts
The Federal Court decided on an administrative court appeal by [M.X.] and [I.X.] against the final decision of the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office, which had fully complied with the request for legal assistance from the Russian Federation.
The Military Prosecutor's Office of the Moscow Military District is investigating [T.S.] and her brother [M.X.] for embezzlement in connection with tobacco and alcohol purchases by the Trade Administration of the Western Group of Soviet Troops (WGS) stationed in Germany. The accused are alleged to have inflated the prices for the deliveries to the WGS and transferred the difference to private accounts.
The request for legal assistance from the Russian Federation aimed at the release of bank records for the accounts of [M.X.] and his wife [I.X.] .
Considerations
The Federal Court concluded that the request for legal assistance from the Russian Federation was justified. As the legal successor to the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation had taken over the criminal jurisdiction over the troops stationed in Germany and their administrations. It was therefore also competent to prosecute the criminal offences underlying…