SWI- swissinfo.ch: Diplomats owe millions in unpaid Swiss traffic fines

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Fine mess
Diplomats owe millions in unpaid Swiss traffic fines

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    in depth: International Geneva

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This content was published on April 22, 2018 2:48 PMApr 22, 2018 - 14:48
Parking fine is left on windscreen.

Between 2014-2017, foreign diplomats in Geneva left unpaid fines worth CHF3.4 million.
(Keystone)

Foreign diplomats residing in the Swiss cities of Bern and Geneva owe millions of Swiss francs in parking and other traffic-related fines which go unpaid every year.

The SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported on Sunday that between 2014 and 2017, traffic fines of over CHF745,000 ($764,000) were issued to foreign diplomats in canton Bern, which hosts 90 embassiesexternal link. However, only CHF141,300 were paid.

In canton Geneva, home to the European headquarters of the United Nations and 33 diplomatic missionsexternal link, the situation is worse. During the same period, traffic fines exceeded CHF4 million. But the authorities were only able to collect just under CHF629,000, leaving a deficit of CHF3.4 million.

+ Read more about diplomats in Switzerland not paying traffic fines

Drivers of cars with diplomatic plates benefit from diplomatic immunity under the rules of the 1961 Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. In the case of non-payment of fines, traffic violation notices will usually be passed from the police to the Swiss foreign ministry which will in turn forward the notice to the embassies.

The payment situation appears to have improved slightly in recent years. In 2010, only 10% of diplomatic traffic fines in canton Bern were paid. This compares to 25% for last year, and around 20% in Geneva.

“The Swiss foreign ministry does not comment on the payment behaviour of the staff of foreign diplomatic missions in Switzerland," a Swiss ministry spokesperson told Sonntagszeitung newspaper on Sunday.

SonntagsZeitung/sb
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"VeraGottlieb commented on the content at 22 April 2018 17:28".
VeraGottlieb 22-Apr-2018 17:28
Absolutely no one should be above the law. Hiding behind 'diplomatic immunity' is a cowardly act.
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 "Gallus replied to the comment of VeraGottlieb at 23 April 2018 02:49."
Gallus 23-Apr-2018 02:49
Name and shame them, publish the list of the ones that think they are above the law.
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"TheDon commented on the content at 22 April 2018 20:29".
TheDon 22-Apr-2018 20:29
100 times worse in London, UK
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"Bill commented on the content at 23 April 2018 09:22".
Bill 23-Apr-2018 09:22
They have the same problem at UN HQ,New York. Diplomatic passports being abused, big time, and the New Yorkers are pissed off.
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"MathMan commented on the content at 23 April 2018 09:36".
MathMan 23-Apr-2018 09:36
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
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"Rafiq Tschannen commented on the content at 23 April 2018 09:41".
Rafiq Tschannen 23-Apr-2018 09:41
When I had diplomatic immunity in Jordan the authorities were kind enough not to issue me any tickets. Consequently they did not have to get upset about accumulated unpaid fines. On the way down from Amman to the Dead Sea the police officers, when seeing my number plate, just kindly advised me to slow down a bit. ...
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"HAT commented on the content at 23 April 2018 10:11".
HAT 23-Apr-2018 10:11
This is quite silly. Diplomats are guaranteed diplomat immunity when they are "on diplomatic" businesses.
If the police issues them tickets or fines during business hours, then the police are wrong.
If the offenses are committed outside office hours and non-business related situations, then the diplomats are obliged to pay the fines "personally".

No diplomat will pay these fines. And yes, they are indeed ABOVE the law in a country outside their own. It is guaranteed. Read it up.
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 "OLEG replied to the comment of HAT at 24 April 2018 11:22."
OLEG 24-Apr-2018 11:22
No civilised or well-educated diplomat must be deceiving himself that he is above the law!
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"Paul commented on the content at 23 April 2018 16:59".
Paul 23-Apr-2018 16:59
I thought CD means "cannot drive". Here in Geneva most people with a CD plates drive like lunatics and are a danger to other road users.

I know they have immunity but we can kick them out if they abuse this, it is within our right as a host country.
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"Lynx commented on the content at 24 April 2018 09:54".
Lynx Lynx 24-Apr-2018 09:54
No one should be able to ignore the law, no matter what their status is. However, the police could recoup the money owed in a few days by targeting other lawbreakers who are not diplomats. Cyclists - no lights, no helmets, disobeying every rule of the road. Drivers using the wrong (or no) indicators on roundabouts, using the wrong lane on motorways or slip roads, crossing solid white lines at the last second to by pass traffic queues, using phones or smoking (in case it is wacky baccy) while driving, speeding (I'm starting to think the speed limits are advice, given the number of speeders racing past me - and I'm not slow, just respectful of the limits). The list is endless.
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