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Switzerland has ordered banks to freeze any accounts belonging to Liberian President Charles Taylor and his associates, the Swiss Justice Ministry said in Geneva in a statement Monday.
The decision follows a request from a United Nations war crimes court in Sierra Leone.
The court accused Taylor of funding rebel groups and aiding them in their attacks on the civilian population during the civil war in Sierra Leone between 1996 and 2001.
Earlier this year the British-based non-governmental organization, Global Witness, published a report claiming that Swiss bank accounts were being used to hide funds embezzled by Taylor.
Global Witness said Liberian assets in Swiss banks totaled at least US$3.8 billion.
The Justice Ministry said that the measures also applied to Taylor's relatives and "members of his regime and various businesspeople and companies".
The ministry said the banks are yet to report the exact amount of assets belonging to Taylor.
It added that the Federal Prosecutor's Office would take over the case following a preliminary investigation.
(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2003)
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