Romney gets support from Swiss banks
The Credit Suisse Group is the second-largest backer of Republican United States presidential candidate Mitt Romney, according to research by a US organisation.
The non-profit Center for Responsive Politics tracks money and its influence on US elections and public policy.
It found that through Credit Suisse, Romney had received $203,750 (SFr193,560) for the 2012 election cycle. The money did not come from the bank directly, but rather from its political action committee, its employees or owners, or those individuals’ family members. Romney’s biggest backer was Goldman-Sachs with $367,200.
Other top Credit Suisse recipients for 2011-2012 include US President Barack Obama ($15,087) as well as numerous other political figures.
Swiss bank UBS is among the top 20 Romney supporters, its associates having contributed $73,750 to the Romney campaign. President Obama has received $27,500.
While corporations with a presence in the United States are allowed to donate campaign funds, foreign citizens are not. Federal law stipulates that only US citizens and permanent-resident aliens can contribute to political campaigns.
The fact that corporations – and their associates – are permitted to donate has sparked criticism within the US.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.