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Geneva.– The Swiss government will authorize the return to Haiti of unclaimed funds linked to former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, the official Swissinfo news website reportedon Wednesday.

In a statement, the Justice Ministry announced they had given account holders three months to prove the money was not illegally acquired.

If they do not comply, the assets –estimated at 7.6 million Swiss francs (about 7.52 million U.S. dollars)– will be returned to the Caribbean state, the statement said.

The funds only represent a fraction of the 100 million-U.S.-dollar fortune Duvalier and his entourage are accused of embezzling from Haiti.

Duvalier who held power from 1971 to 1986, now lives in France. The unclaimed funds will be returned after the end of September.

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14 comment(s)
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Written by: gouletcolonial, 6 Jul 2008 11:18 AM
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
Basket head did not get a chance to blow the money....somebody else will....claim this money in the name of the Haitian people.....and blow it
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Written by: sangwong This user is banned, 6 Jul 2008 3:32 PM
From: United States
The bloody Swiss government should also try to return the billions in gold and other jewelry that was looted from victims of the Holocaust. They should not forget the billions stashed away in anonymous Swiss Bank accounts by legions of African and Latin American despots who plundered their countries to the verge of bankruptcy.
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Written by: Jander, 6 Jul 2008 3:56 PM
From: Dominican Republic
Sanwong this is just the begining numbered accounts will soon be a thing of the past.
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Written by: gouletcolonial, 6 Jul 2008 4:00 PM
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
this famous film clip from the Third Man film says everything there is to know about Switzerland...pay attention it is short... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFi4TdvBEVw&feature=related
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Written by: antonioj, 6 Jul 2008 4:27 PM
From: Canada, Oakville on terra firma
A no brainer..... after so many years... will France follow suite too...
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Written by: Lautaro, 6 Jul 2008 8:07 PM
From: Brazil, near Copacabana
The only way that would happen, antonioj, is if Sarkozy were to be replaced on the Champs Elysee by a socialist government, that way, the US would be hacked off enough to actually support any complain that the haitian gov might make against France.
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Written by: jemesouviens1804, 6 Jul 2008 10:51 PM
From: United States, Spring Valley, NY
Dont worry lautaro, Sarkozy is supposed to be the first French president to visit Haiti... So he still has time to return our money.
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Written by: BLANCO, 7 Jul 2008 11:12 AM
From: Dominican Republic
maybe while they are at it they can check the accounts of mejia and his gang of bandits who ripped off the dominican people for an estimated 660 plus million
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Written by: zak325, 7 Jul 2008 11:26 AM
From: United States
Return the money so it can be stolen again? Maybe the money should go to a UN administred fund. Wonder who gets the Intrest ?
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Written by: BLANCO, 7 Jul 2008 12:22 PM
From: Dominican Republic
ZAK it ain't about interest!! if it is really big you have to pay the bank to keep it.like a safety depoist box. do you think andy the brain cares about interest???
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Written by: etiennc, 7 Jul 2008 1:24 PM
From: United States
" Money from the pocket of a thug to the pocket of another thug"
Guess what will happen to the money ?
It will be redeposited to the same Swiss banks by another " ladron".
The misery of the Haitian people will continue and they wil continue to be pain in the neck for the Dominica Republic
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Written by: BLANCO, 8 Jul 2008 11:45 AM
From: Dominican Republic
as this story is now off the front pages, where are the investgative reporters, to compile the information of the theft from the public coffers, go back to 1996 if you must, but start wtih 1999 and come forward. 1999, 320million to a bank in bermuda, because "there wasn't a bank big enough to hold all that money" this money was later identified as being still on deposit in early 2004.. when asked why mejia will not use the 320 to help pay for electrical bills, on a frdiay it was 320 on the following monday it was 160.

bonos soborono #1 500 million... 250 to public coffers, 250 distributed to 5 banks in 50million lots. in whose names????? #2 600 million no story on this, you'll have to aske mejis, malkunm calderon and andy dahuyrie (the brain)

this is just two i'm sure there are more
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Written by: FranktheTank, 8 Jul 2008 5:22 PM
From: United Kingdom
It's about time... hope they pay interest.
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Written by: BASTA, 12 Jul 2008 7:44 PM
From: Dominican Republic, SPM
And Fernadezzzz up front has 600,000,000.00 So what else does he have?
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