SAKTO SEEKS TO END BRUNO MANSER FONDS' DEFAMATORY CAMPAIGN

August 20, 2018
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Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) began their campaign against Sakto Corporation (Sakto) in 2010.

For all these years, BMF and their Executive Director Lukas Straumann have attempted to get authorities to investigate alleged money laundering and corruption. Sakto and its founders have endured the spurious claims, false allegations, and defamatory statements.

Their campaign stats look impressive. BMF and Lukas Straumann have filed and sent 11 complaints and letters across 6 jurisdictions around the world. Their accusations against Sakto have been sent to, or seen by, at least 19 individuals that include government authorities and law enforcement agencies, senior politicians, and even heads of state.

What has been the result? Zero. Not one of their complaints has led to action by any law enforcement agency.  This was not a surprise to Sakto – they comply with the strict Canadian financial and regulatory rules.

The Superior Court of Justice in Ontario squarely dismissed BMF’s allegations in February 2018. It is now time to draw a line under BMF’s campaign. Sakto is bringing legal action against BMF and Lukas Straumann in Switzerland to put an end to their defamation.

Whatever Lukas Straumann and the NGO want to believe is their private matter. Everyone is entitled to opinions. But repeating their defamatory suspicions and theories in the public domain, making them look like established facts, is unacceptable and unlawful.

Sakto is asking the Basel court for an injunction, ordering BMF to remove their infringing content from the public domain – more than 1,100 infringing statements and over 250 articles and publications. They would also be ordered to stop repeating their false allegations.

Let’s be clear. This is not an attack on the NGO and its mission. We simply wish for BMF and Lukas Straumann to remove their false and defamatory allegations from the public domain and to stop their misguided campaign against Sakto and its founders.

We firmly believe that we have the law on our side, as well as the facts, evidence, and proof that validate our right to be left alone.
 
BMF’s allegations against Sakto of money laundering “depend upon conjecture and suspicion more than evidence”
- Justice Dunphy, 7 February 2018, Superior Court of Justice, Ontario
 
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