Switzerland: 120 gold bars forgotten in a train will be given to the Red Cross

In October 2019, a controller found a plastic bag on a train from St. Gallen in the east to Lucerne in central Switzerland. In the bag, a white package with the inscription “sending ICRC valuables” and in the package… 3.732 kilograms of gold in the form of 120 small ingots, says the Lucerne public prosecutor’s office in a press release. The police searched in vain for the owner for almost four years. The loot will eventually be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Gold with a purity of 999.9% was trading Thursday around 56,000 euros per kilo. The “treasure”, which has not yet been handed over to the ICRC, is therefore worth around 210,000 euros.

After a lengthy investigation, authorities were unable to locate the owner or link the bullion to any crime. “As the gold was in a package addressed to the ICRC, it can be assumed that the unknown owner wanted to hand over the gold to this organization. Thus, the discovery will be handed over to the ICRC, “explains the prosecution in a press release.

Questioned by AFP, the International Committee of the Red Cross, first said it was reassured about the origin of the gold after the extensive investigation by the police, which allows it to accept the gift . “We express our gratitude for this generous contribution to the ICRC,” responded a spokesperson in an email, hastening to clarify that the organization favors more traditional ways to receive donations.

“The donation received will significantly contribute to funding the ICRC’s global operations, dedicated to protecting and assisting the most vulnerable people affected by war and violence,” the spokesperson said. Gold will be sold, he added.

This donation is timely for the ICRC, which is in a very difficult financial situation due to rising costs linked to inflation and a drop in the generosity of donors, in particular due to the very large funds devoted to helping Ukraine. .

Faced with the difficulties, the ICRC adopted a drastic cost reduction plan of several hundred million Swiss francs, notably by significantly reducing its staff. Of the organization’s 350 sites around the world, 26 will be closed and others will see their resources significantly reduced.