Swiss coffee trader arrested in Guatemala for tax violationsDaily coffee news from Roast Magazine

A Swiss coffee trader is currently under house arrest in Guatemala because he is accused of tax fraud, as numerous Swiss and Guatemalan media reports.

Neither the Swiss nor the Guatemalan authorities have revealed the name of the person arrested, although the Guatemalan news agency Prensa Libre reported in June on the arrest of 68-year-old Ulrich Gurtner Kappler on charges of tax fraud.

Kappler was general director of the Guatemalan coffee cooperative association Fedecocagua, which consists of a network of large regional producer cooperatives.

Guatemalan authorities had already charged Kappler with money laundering in May 2023.

Fedecocagua did not immediately respond to DCN’s request for comment.

In a report by the Swiss news channel Tamedia, a former Swiss ambassador to Guatemala claimed that the arrest and detention were politically motivated and the charges were fabricated.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry (FDFA) told the Keystone-SDA news agency that it was aware of the case and was in contact with the Guatemalan authorities.

DCN has contacted the FDFA and numerous other authorities in Switzerland and Guatemala and will update this story as new information becomes available.

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