Switzerland destroyed documents in November that were related to the case of three Swiss engineers who allegedly help supply equipment to Libya's nuclear-weapon program, Swissinfo reported yesterday (see GSN, May 26, 2006).
Friedrich Tinner was detained about four years ago with his two sons, Urs and Marco, on suspicion that they had aided the smuggling ring once run by former top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.
One of the men remains in confinement as authorities investigate the case.
There have been rumors that the United States asked Switzerland to destroy the documents to suppress evidence that the three men had worked with the CIA, according to Swissinfo.
The shredding of the papers, confirmed by the head of a Swiss parliamentary control committee, could undermine the investigation of the case while eliminating evidence potentially useful for the defendants (Swissinfo, May 20).