RIYADH, 7 December 2003 — Two Swiss diplomats who were based in Jeddah have gone on trial in Switzerland for allegedly abusing their position by smuggling alcohol into Saudi Arabia and selling it.
The two were fired by the Swiss government after being charged, according to Swiss Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dominik Alder.
“They are on trial in Switzerland and not in Saudi Arabia because of the immunity diplomats enjoy in their host countries,” Alder told Arab News yesterday.
He refused to name the two former officials, but they have been identified as a former deputy consul and another civil official. They stand accused of smuggling more than 9,000 bottles of spirits and some 3,000 bottles of Champagne and a staggering 21,000 cans of beer into the Kingdom during their tenure.
Alder said that despite the behavior of the two maverick diplomats, “the Kingdom and Switzerland enjoy excellent relations.”
