The Confederation stops printing order to Lithuanian company Garsu Pasaulis

The Swiss visa stickers are affected. These are affixed to the passport of foreigners and entitle them to enter Switzerland and the Schengen area.

When Switzerland awarded the contract to the Garsu Pasaulis company a year and a half ago, critical voices were already being raised. CVP National Councilor Alois Gmür pointed out the problem of awarding security-relevant printing contracts abroad in a submission to the Federal Council - without success. The Swiss central bank printer Orell Füssli lost the tender. In response to Gmür's request, it was stated that the contract had to be awarded to the Eastern European company because it offered the lowest price. In this case, the federal government may only decide otherwise if "public safety and order" are endangered.

That Gmür's skepticism was more than justified is now becoming apparent. The Lithuanian company and its parent company are suspected of having bribed officials in several countries and forged passports. The federal government therefore feels compelled to withdraw the contract from the company, it announced in response to an inquiry from the SonntagsZeitung with. The decision was made for reputational reasons and to avoid any damage, says a spokeswoman. So far, the federal authorities have no indications that Swiss passport documents have fallen into the wrong hands.

A big question mark is raised by the fact that numerous reports about corruption cases of the company were already available online before the award. For Alois Gmür, it is clear that the federal government is saving in the wrong place by awarding contracts abroad at rock-bottom prices. It would pay off if Swiss companies were passed over just because they could not keep up with the dumping prices of foreign companies. He is therefore calling for a change in the law. (hae)