Former Swiss Ski vice-president stands trial over fraud allegations

Claude-Alain Schmidhalter, a former vice-president of the Swiss Ski Federation, is on trial at the district court in Brig over allegations that he defrauded a co-owner of his engineering company, SRF reports. Prosecutors are seeking a suspended prison sentence of 23.5 months; the defence has called for an acquittal.

The case concerns the alleged undervaluation of the company and the transfer of several hundred thousand francs to a company controlled by Schmidhalter. The court was due to announce its verdict on Friday afternoon.

Schmidhalter had been appointed president of the organising committee for the Ski World Championships in Crans-Montana, planned for February. He said in court that the Swiss Ski Federation had used the situation to remove an “inconvenient” board member. He also accused the federation of pushing him out of his roles as vice-president and event president.

Swiss Ski denied that account, saying Schmidhalter had resigned voluntarily. The federation said it knew nothing of the allegations or criminal proceedings until early October. Its spokesperson said the federation’s rules require its executive board to be informed promptly about important extraordinary business matters.

The prosecution opened its investigation in 2019, and Schmidhalter was questioned by police in 2020. His business partner submitted further evidence in 2021, after which prosecutors examined the company’s accounts. Schmidhalter was questioned again in 2025, and prosecutors filed charges against him and another person in January 2026.

Schmidhalter also served on the executive council of Swiss Olympic until 2024. The organisation said it introduced an integrity check for office holders in spring 2025, including a declaration requiring them to disclose ongoing criminal proceedings. A return to sports administration for Schmidhalter appears unlikely, regardless of the verdict.