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Rolex, Gold Gifts to Trump Spur Call for Swiss Investigation
Bloomberg (Archived)Swiss politicians have urged the the country’s top prosecutor to open a criminal investigation into the gifting of a Rolex table clock and an engraved gold bar to US President Donald Trump by business executives shortly before he agreed to cut tariffs on the country’s exports.
Two Swiss MPs, Greta Gysin and Raphael Mahaim, called on the Office of the Attorney-General to examine whether the gifts were tantamount to bribery of foreign officials, according to the Nov. 26 letter seen by Bloomberg News. The gold bar was worth at least 100,000 Swiss francs ($124,000) and the clock could be worth as much as 25,000 francs the politicians wrote, citing estimates from the industry press.
The Attorney General’s office confirmed receipt of the letter and two others about the case, all filed against ‘persons unknown.’ It said it will examine them as it would any such request, but stressed that doing so doesn’t mean that an investigation has been opened.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The average person is rightly questioning the legality of these gifts offered to the American president in order to get him to unblock a trade negotiation file,” according to the letter.
Two Swiss MPs, Greta Gysin and Raphael Mahaim, called on the Office of the Attorney-General to examine whether the gifts were tantamount to bribery of foreign officials, according to the Nov. 26 letter seen by Bloomberg News. The gold bar was worth at least 100,000 Swiss francs ($124,000) and the clock could be worth as much as 25,000 francs the politicians wrote, citing estimates from the industry press.
The Attorney General’s office confirmed receipt of the letter and two others about the case, all filed against ‘persons unknown.’ It said it will examine them as it would any such request, but stressed that doing so doesn’t mean that an investigation has been opened.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The average person is rightly questioning the legality of these gifts offered to the American president in order to get him to unblock a trade negotiation file,” according to the letter.
Swiss politicians filed a criminal complaint with the country’s top prosecutor over a Rolex table clock and an engraved gold bar presented to US President Donald Trump by business executives shortly before he agreed to cut tariffs on the country’s exports. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2025-12-01T17:16:44.768Z
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