Uster police scandal: city councillor Caviezel loses security portfolio and job
Uster city council responds to weeks-long police scandal: city councillor Beatrice Caviezel relinquishes the security portfolio. On Monday, the city parliament will decide on an investigative commission.
City council of Uster responds to police affair – Caviezel removed from power, showdown in parliament
On Wednesday, the city council of Uster adopted a "package of measures" in response to the weeks-long police scandal that has gripped the third-largest city in the canton of Zurich. City councillor Beatrice Caviezel (55, GLP) is temporarily relinquishing the security portfolio. The head of the security department has resigned. Two external investigations are furthermore to examine "the finances, processes and regulations in the security business sector" as well as the "operational culture" there.
For years, invoices at the city police had been split in order to make purchases without approval from the full city council – including the purchase of a BMW with 300 horsepower for 100,000 francs. As Blick revealed last week, Andreas Baumgartner (48), the now-dismissed commander of the city police, is also said to have sent numerous anonymous abusive letters – to citizens of Uster as well as to former army chief Thomas Süssli. An administrative investigation reached this conclusion. Baumgartner vehemently denies being the author.
The city administration had remained silent on this background when it announced Baumgartner's dismissal in June. The city council also kept the financial irregularities under wraps – only after the elections on 12 April did it make them public. Caviezel only belatedly admitted that she had signed off on some of the manipulated invoices.
Parallel to the separation from Baumgartner, Caviezel also lost her position as managing director of Spitex Stäfa in June. On the basis of "differing views on the strategic direction", the two parties had agreed by mutual consent to separate by the end of September, Caviezel told Blick. Members of the Uster city council work on a 40 per cent basis and earn 83,557 francs annually for this. Caviezel denies that the impending loss of her job influenced her decision to hold on to her political office: "Even without searching, I have already received various offers, which I am currently reviewing."
The fact that Caviezel now looks after only the public services and legal enforcement business sectors, and thus significantly less work, does not result in a reduction in her salary. The city of Uster confirms on request: "There is no legal basis for a reduction in working hours and compensation."
The GLP Uster continues to stand behind Caviezel. The error in connection with the split invoices alone does not justify demands for resignation, according to the party board. So far it has only been confirmed that Caviezel signed off on invoices for barriers at the city festival – without realising that they had been deliberately split. At the same time, the party supports a "comprehensive clarification of the incidents", it emphasises.
Critics, however, remain unappeaseed. Many had expected Caviezel to resign completely, rather than merely temporarily relinquishing the portfolio. The resigned head of department must also not leave the city administration; instead, he is allowed to continue working as a city judge on a 60 per cent basis. Another blind spot remains: the city administration has failed to have its own communication conduct investigated following the internal discovery of the financial irregularities. The city council's media office states on this point that it is "not ruled out" that the commissioned investigations could yield evidence relevant to the assessment of city council communication.
On Monday evening, a showdown will occur in the municipal council of Uster. The city parliament will decide, on a motion by the SVP, whether the executive should work out a proposal for a parliamentary investigative commission (PUK) to shed light on the events at the city police and the role of those politically responsible. The measures announced by the city council will presumably not change the fact that a majority is expected to speak in favour of a PUK.
Source: Blick