Fraud and Regulation in the Swiss Wine Market: Current State and Future Perspectives

• In Event: Money laundering, economic crime and illicit markets

Abstract

Since 2013, several fraud scandals have exposed weaknesses in the control system of the Swiss wine industry, raising questions about the effectiveness of regulatory oversight and the management of irregularities. Despite multiple legislative and organizational reforms, certain irregularities persist, jeopardizing the integrity of the wine market and consumer trust.

This project aims to analyze fraudulent practices in the Swiss wine sector, pursuing two main objectives. The first is to establish a typology of fraud by identifying common illicit practices. The second objective is to assess the effectiveness of the existing control system and explore potential improvements.

The study follows a qualitative approach, combining documentary analysis (institutional reports, scientific studies, regulatory frameworks, etc.), semi-structured interviews with key industry stakeholders, and international comparison of certain regulatory systems.

Intermediate results have led to the development of a detailed typology of fraud in the wine sector, which insights from industry professionals. The study has also provided an overview of the Swiss control system, highlighting key risk areas as well as best practices from other regulatory frameworks. These intermediate results pave the way for concrete recommendations.

This presentation offers a synthesis of the findings obtained so far and outlines the next steps in the study.

Authors

• Renaud Zbinden, Institut de lutte contre la criminalité économique, HEG-Arc, HES-SO // Haute école de Suisse occidentale

• Estelle Bulliard, Institut de lutte contre la criminalité économique, HEG-Arc, HES-SO // Haute école de Suisse occidentale