Skip to main content

Imtech - update on the Fritz & Macziol Schweiz investigation

Following media coverage which contained allegations of unethical business behaviour, Imtech began an internal investigation into the former management of Fritz & Macziol Schweiz. This behaviour allegedly included excessive gifts and entertainment offered to Seco civil servants. The internal investigation initiated by Imtech was conducted by a substantial external team of lawyers, accountants and forensic experts. The office of the public prosecutor in Switzerland has also initiated criminal investigati
March 19, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Following media coverage which contained allegations of unethical business behaviour, 769 Imtech began an internal investigation into the former management of Fritz & Macziol Schweiz. This behaviour allegedly included excessive gifts and entertainment offered to Seco civil servants.

The internal investigation initiated by Imtech was conducted by a substantial external team of lawyers, accountants and forensic experts. The office of the public prosecutor in Switzerland has also initiated criminal investigations. Imtech is fully cooperating with the Swiss authorities.

The initial findings by Imtech confirm that a non-business relationship existed between the former management of Fritz & Macziol Schweiz and certain Seco civil servants. This was reflected in excessive entertainment, overly informal contacts and questionable business behaviour. A conflict of interest by Fritz & Macziol Schweiz management was also identified. Fritz & Macziol Schweiz is not a suspect in the Swiss criminal investigations at this stage.

Imtech’s investigations have not yet been completed due to the ongoing criminal investigation by the Swiss Authorities and it is therefore it is too early to draw final conclusions. Imtech will provide a further update at a later date.

The management of Fritz & Macziol Schweiz has been replaced. As a consequence of the adverse publicity, the organisation of Fritz & Macziol Schweiz is to be restructured. The potential financial exposure of the situation is difficult to assess, but judged to be limited.

Imtech strongly rejects any unethical business behaviour and has further tightened its already strict policies on matters such as sponsorship, gifts, hospitality and conflicts of interest.

Related Content

  • Speed reduction measures - carrot or stick?
    January 23, 2012
    In Sweden, marketing company DDB Stockholm employed a mock speed camera as part of a promotional campaign for automotive manufacturer Volkswagen. The result was worldwide online interest and promotion of the debate over excessive speed to the national level. A developing trend in traffic management policy is to look at how to induce road users to modify their behaviour by incentivising change rather than forcing it through the application of penalties. There have been several studies conducted into this; an
  • Developing ‘next generation’ traffic control centre technology
    July 4, 2012
    The Rijkswaterstaat and Highways Agency have joined forces to investigate what the market can do to realise an idealistic vision for traffic control centre technology. Jon Masters reports One particular seminar session of the Intertraffic show in Amsterdam in March was notably over subscribed. So heavy was the press to attend that your author, making his way over late from another appointment, could not get in and found himself craning over other heads locked outside to overhear what was being said. The
  • AVs and poor weather – a bad mix
    May 11, 2020
    The US DoT has produced a report on how adverse weather and road conditions will affect automated vehicles – it found inconsistency between different cars with these features which are already on highways and suggests limitations are not yet understood
  • Royal Imtech results ‘a decisive step’
    August 26, 2014
    Royal Imtech has published its second quarter and half year 2014 results, taking what the CEO, Gerard van de Aast says is “a decisive step in Imtech's financial recovery”. The company has reported significant debt reduction and a fully underwritten rights issue of US$791 million. Revenue in the second quarter was US$1.2 billion, with an EBITDA loss in the same period of US$18.4 million. Order intake in the second quarter was US$1.24 billion. In addition, Imtech has reached agreement with Vinci SA on