A Swiss federal criminal court has thrown out criminal charges against Lara Warner, who formerly led compliance at Credit Suisse, on procedural timing grounds. The court concluded that the seven-year statute of limitations tied to her reporting obligations expired in early 2024, and as a result it dismissed both the case and a 100,000 Swiss franc fine that had been imposed.
Prosecutors had accused Warner of failing to submit a suspicious activity report between 2016 and 2018 concerning a $7.9 million payment from Mozambique’s government that was transferred to an account in the United Arab Emirates. In its ruling, the court stated that Warner "intentionally violated her reporting obligations" under Swiss money-laundering legislation.
The allegations were connected to the wider Tuna Bonds scandal, a $2 billion debt arrangement that was described as intended to finance a Mozambican tuna-fishing fleet. That scheme became emblematic of Credit Suisse’s internal control failures and has been cited as one of the factors that contributed to the bank’s collapse.
Regulators had said Warner obstructed subordinates from filing an alert and later exhibited "no remorse" for her conduct. Separately, the Federal Department of Finance issued a fine against Warner in March 2025; the department’s action came after the court-determined statute of limitations had already lapsed.
The court noted a legal distinction in tracing obligations: while reporting duties remain in effect for as long as assets can be located and confiscated, judges found no evidence indicating the whereabouts of the funds transferred to the United Arab Emirates since 2017. That absence of traceable assets was cited in support of the timing-based dismissal.
The dismissal order is not final. The ruling can be appealed, leaving open the prospect of further legal proceedings. Outside the litigation, Warner is employed as an adviser at Starling Trust, a behavioral sciences and risk advisory firm located outside Washington DC.
This report summarizes the court decision and the allegations as presented in the proceedings. It does not introduce new details beyond those addressed by the court and regulatory actions.