swissoppress

Postfinance should be held accountable for violating the right to charitable activity, the destruction of Gerasjuta’s charitable organizations, and being responsible for the deaths of impoverished and sick Ukrainians:

• Before the U.S. Federal Reserve, for the closure of accounts that paralyzed the foundation’s operations. This led to the deaths of impoverished, sick people in Ukraine following the closure of Gerasjuta’s charitable organizations, which provided medicines.
• By filing a lawsuit in a U.S. court, initiated by victims currently residing in the United States.
• By imposing sanctions through the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. government, and Congress under the Global Magnitsky Act, as well as through the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. These sanctions would address serious human rights violations—the closure of accounts that led to the cessation of SOS Gerasjuta’s activities and the deaths of individuals.

Swissoppress is preparing complaints to the U.S. Federal Reserve, as well as a lawsuit in a U.S. court and a petition to impose sanctions on Postfinance.

Due to the politicized nature of this case, the legal proceedings in Switzerland concerning the fabricated criminal charges cannot be impartial.

An independent court in the United States should conduct a thorough investigation to:

• Assess the significant moral and material damages caused by Postfinance;
• Demand compensation from Postfinance and individuals, involved in the forced liquidation of Sergej Gerasjuta’s businesses and charitable enterprises;
• Impose strict sanctions on Postfinance that deliberately obstructed Sergej Gerasjuta’s charitable activities in Switzerland, as well as on its leaders and their family members.

Under the pseudonym Kris Kristi, Mr. Gerasjuta wrote the first part of his book,
Human Heritage Museum. Foundations,
in whose penultimate chapter he began recounting his persecution in Switzerland. He is currently working on a sequel, where he will explore these topics in detail. We plan to publish the book in multiple languages worldwide.

All the charitable organizations Sergej Gerasjuta established to assist impoverished and sick people in Ukraine have been destroyed.

Weg zur Rettung, SOS Gerasjuta, SOS GERASJUTA STIFTUNG, Jugendprojekt, and the association Retten Sie Leben (Save lives) operated legally within the framework of their statutory activities. They maintained strict accounting records, which were supervised by independent professional auditing firms in both Ukraine and Switzerland.

There is no free market for philanthropy in Switzerland.

Currently, Mr. Gerasjuta is being prosecuted in a fabricated case. His business and personal accounts in Switzerland and Ukraine have been frozen. From a successful leader, philanthropist, and businessman, Sergej Gerasjuta has been turned into a destitute, homeless bankrupt.

Postfinance

closed the accounts of SOS Gerasjuta, the predecessor to SOS GERASJUTA STIFTUNG. This effectively led to the organization’s demise, as collecting donations without a bank account is impossible. The shutdown of SOS Gerasjuta’s accounts forced all charitable activities to a standstill. Later, the foundation SOS GERASJUTA STIFTUNG was established, only to suffer the same fate. While the first organization was killed by the Swiss banks, the second was eliminated by the Swiss government officials. What exactly motivated the financial institution Postfinance to deliver a death sentence to our charitable organization SOS Gerasjuta? The American court will have to determine.

During the court hearings in the United States, the obstruction of our charitable fundraising campaigns will be examined step by step from their very inception. A thorough analysis will be conducted of the actions of all individuals who have negatively influenced them.

The following individuals will testify in court as witnesses:

• Our employees in Switzerland and Ukraine, who are eyewitnesses to the events. They will provide an insider’s perspective on our work and present detailed reports and necessary documents.
• Needy patients whose health conditions worsened after they stopped receiving vital medications from our organization.
• Hospital doctors whose patients survived thanks to the life-saving support we provided.
• Family members of deceased individuals residing in Ukraine, EU countries, and the USA, whose relatives passed away as a result of the ban on our humanitarian activities in Switzerland.

Our independent auditor confirmed in the annual reports that administrative expenses accounted for a reasonable 17–23% of the collected donations. However, the supervisory authority, ESA in Bern, conducted its own unconventional calculations, asserting that only 12-15% of funds reached those in need, while a staggering 85-88% was allocated to administration. These figures were derived using non-standard methods, unrecognized in the charitable sector, where aid projects are typically evaluated in their entirety rather than based solely on direct payments to individuals. Relying on these contested numbers, the ESA imposed a prohibition on our foundation’s activities.

The principle behind the unconventional calculation lies in attorney Eckenstein’s use of accounting methods that charitable organizations, including ZEWO-members, do not employ in their financial reporting. Typically, foundations classify entire projects as „aid,“ encompassing various administrative expenses — such as portions of staff salaries or rent for spaces used in project implementation. Additionally, all funds spent in the recipient country are recorded as „aid.“
In our case, however, Eckenstein counted only the direct payments to those in need, excluding all other costs tied with charitable activities. This approach resulted in a skewed ratio of 12-15% aid versus 85-88% administrative expenses. If this same method were applied to other organizations, their figures would undoubtedly be comparable.

An independent auditor, adhering to professional standards, conducted a proper assessment and confirmed that our actual administrative expenses ranged from 17% to 23% across different years. Nevertheless, ZEWO and ESA endorsed the attorney’s flawed calculations. Their intent was clear — to eliminate a competitor. ZEWO and third parties then disseminated biased data through commissioned media publications, branding our foundation as self-serving rather than charitable. Though Mr. Gerasjuta’s salary was average for Switzerland and significantly lower than that of leaders of ZEWO-affiliated organizations, the press—under ZEWO’s influence—deliberately concealed this fact, misleading the public.

• Legal action against Postfinance – our goal is to expose hostile actions of Postfinance and ensure the free operation of independent organizations in Switzerland.
• Imposition of sanctions – we call for sanctions to be imposed against Swiss individuals and legal entities involved in the liquidation of Mr. Gerasjuta’s charitable organizations.
• Journalistic investigation – we call for an investigation to identify all those responsible for depriving Mr. Gerasjuta of his right to engage in charitable activities.
• Documentary film – we plan to produce a film about the perpetrators and victims whose charitable efforts in Switzerland were crushed

ZEWO – and its director, Martina Zigerer

is an association encompassing all major charitable organizations in Switzerland—such as the Swiss Red Cross (SRK), Caritas Schweiz, Pro Juventute, HEKS/EPER, Swissaid, WWF, Terre des Hommes Schweiz, Helvetas, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)—and occupies a commanding position, obstructing the endeavors of any organization outside its membership.

At the very outset of our charitable activities, ZEWO demanded that we cease our work. In 1997, when Mr. Gerasjuta was invited for an interview on the program Quer on Switzerland’s main TV channel SRF1, he met ZEWO’s president, Mrs. Vallender, backstage. She insistently urged us to halt the collection of donations for Ukrainians in need. When we refused to comply and continued our efforts, a deluge of negative press articles descended upon us, precipitating a sharp decline in contributions. Subsequently, the banks Postfinance and Berner Kantonalbank closed our accounts. ZEWO’s paramount objective is the relentless struggle against competitors until their utter annihilation.

We have been unjustly accused of opacity, despite our annual reports being scrutinized by independent auditors in Switzerland and Ukraine, submitted to the state authority ESA in Bern, and published openly on our website. ZEWO possesses formidable political ties—so potent that it swayed governmental bodies to prohibit our activities. Under the pretext of championing transparency and certifying ostensibly trustworthy organizations, ZEWO stigmatizes all others as unreliable, waging a campaign to eradicate competition. Weaker entities falter under this strain and perish. The state actively abets ZEWO in executing its anti-competitive designs. Ultimately, ZEWO orchestrated the expulsion of Mr. Gerasjuta from the charitable sector, wielding the media, banks, and Swiss government officials as its instruments.

Due to extensive media harassment, the flow of donations declined, and our foundation was barely staying afloat. Advertising campaigns failed to achieve the desired outcomes, and the funds collected were insufficient, given the costs of fundraising, to make substantial payments to those in need.

Our efforts were challenging because we depended solely on modest contributions from private individuals — no other support reached us.  In contrast, ZEWO-affiliated organizations enjoy substantial funding from the government and major corporations, freeing them from the need to spend resources on fundraising. We had no such privilege. Despite ZEWO’s influence and the negative image created by biased media, ordinary people continued to offer us small donations.
Just as we were denied the right to exist in Switzerland, so too will any other nascent organization, without ZEWO’s backing, inevitably perish—for ZEWO ensures its demise.

We made every effort to ensure full transparency: in Switzerland, our accounting was overseen by an independent Swiss auditor, and in Ukraine, by a Ukrainian one. Completed reports, prepared by a professional auditor, were submitted for review to the supervisory authority ESA in Bern and made publicly available on our website. What could be more transparent? But ZEWO claimed: ‚Not transparent,‘ and all the media, without conducting an objective analysis, simply repeated this statement.

Fundraising is no easy task. Try sending out a mailing asking for financial support for a charitable cause, and you’ll quickly realize how difficult it is. And if the media turns against your initiative, even those who would like to donate won’t do so. Your project is doomed to failure.

Third Party
Behind all our persecution stands a specific third party — an individual or group —  who manages this process. They ordered and financed negative media reports, caused the closure of our charitable activities, and organized Mr. Gerasjuta’s criminal prosecution. This third party wields enormous power — both political and financial. Everyone obeys them: journalists, prosecutors, judges, and even Switzerland’s top leadership. Although the prosecutor’s investigation has been ongoing for over five years with no charges brought against Mr. Gerasjuta, this third party continues to:

• Control the entire process of our persecution
• Intimidate our lawyer and everyone who tries to help us
• Pressure the prosecutor’s office to keep the case open — thus tying our hands, because:
  a) Mr. Gerasjuta’s personal accounts and the accounts of our organizations remain blocked
  b) Mr. Gerasjuta can be arrested at any moment on fabricated charges
• Instruct banks to close our accounts (UBS, Postfinance, Berner Kantonalbank)
• Prolong Mr. Gerasjuta’s bankruptcy process, preventing him from engaging in any economic activity.
  

This third party has systematically and methodically destroyed all our charitable organizations and Mr. Gerasjuta’s personal business. They remain in the shadows, acting through journalists, banks, lawyers, and government officials.

sergej gerasjuta (under the pseudonym Kris Kristi) has already written his first book, Human Heritage Museum. Basics, in German and Russian. A second book is now being prepared for publication. It will reveal the whole truth about how ZEWO-led Swiss charitable organizations deviously and dishonestly eliminate their competitors. The book will be supported by documents, facts, and eyewitness accounts — from our employees, hospital doctors, our beneficiaries, and relatives of the deceased.

Settlement Agreement

As the aggrieved party, Sergej Gerasjuta is open to considering the possibility of a settlement agreement. Those responsible for the destruction of our charitable organizations and discrimination must provide fair compensation for the material and moral damage inflicted. This will serve as redress for all the suffering he has endured, enable the restoration of his charitable activities, allow him to regain his lost business, and assist those in need harmed by their destructive actions.
If a settlement agreement is reached, we will forgo the implementation of all previously stated points.
However, if legal proceedings are initiated, they will be pursued to the very end. Charitable and public activities aimed at combating human rights violations in Switzerland will continue and expand further.