Switzerland freezes assets of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Laurent Gbagbo

Swiss president says measures against ousted Tunisian president and Ivory Coast incumbent will be imposed with immediate effect

guardian.co.uk, Associated Press, Wednesday 19 January 2011 13.37 GMT

Switzerland has frozen the assets of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali (pictured)
and the Ivory Coast incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo. Photograph: AP

Switzerland's federal council today agreed to freeze any assets of both Tunisia's ousted president and the incumbent leader of Ivory Coast.

The Swiss president, Micheline Calmy-Rey, told reporters the measures would take effect immediately and target Tunisia's former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and the Ivory Coast incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo.

She said the moves aimed to "encourage" the two countries to seek help in a possible criminal case against the men, and it was "very unlikely" that any funds linked to them had left Switzerland in recent days.

Ben Ali fled Tunisia on Friday amid major public protests. Many countries want Gbagbo to leave power in Ivory Coast following elections in November that they say were won by challenger Alassane Ouattara.

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