Swiss court rules in Duvalier favour

The Federal Supreme Court in Switzerland has overturned a lower court ruling that had barred the family of deposed Haitian leader Jean-Claude \'Baby Doc\' Duvalier from access to millions of dollars in Swiss bank accounts.



The lower courts had ruled that the money should have gone to charities doing work in Haiti during the aftermath of a powerful earthquake on January 12 that killed an estimated 200,000 people.



The decision of the Federal Supreme Court cannot be appealed, but the Swiss Foreign Ministry says it will try to keep the money blocked while it works on a new law for dealing with assets of criminal origin.



As a result of the ruling, the Duvalier family can now access US$4.6 million.



Duvalier, who was ousted in 1986, is believed to have robbed the Haitian treasury of millions of dollars and is said to be living in exile in France.



He has always denied the accusation.