switzerland http://www.thejc.com/news/topics/switzerland The taxonomy view with a depth of 0. en Swiss banks ‘handed out £800m to Shoah victims and heirs’ http://www.thejc.com/news/world-news/109530/swiss-banks-handed-out-%C2%A3800m-shoah-victims-and-heirs%E2%80%99 <p>Holocaust survivors and victims’ heirs have reportedly been paid more than £800 million by a Swiss fund created after banks were accused of withholding money from Jews.</p> <p>According to Tachles, a Swiss-Jewish magazine, 457,000 Jews have been compensated since a settlement was made in 1998 between the World Jewish Congress and Swiss banks.</p> <p>The agreement was reached after the WJC accused the banks of knowingly withholding money from survivors and heirs seeking to access secret accounts opened during the Holocaust.</p> <p>Two-thirds of the settlement was allocated to the account holders, with the remaining £270 million handed over to other Holocaust victims.</p> <p>Among these recipients were 199,000 Jews sent to Nazi labour camps, as well as 4,100 refugees fleeing Nazi persecution who were blocked from entering neutral Switzerland.</p> <p>New York judge Edward Korman, who oversaw the distribution of the fund, also sanctioned payments to 236,000 victims of Nazi occupation.</p> <p>Additionally, 12,300 claimants whose applications were classed as “plausible but undocumented” were given a flat-rate amount of $5,000 each.</p> World news World Jewish Congress The Holocaust switzerland 109530 story http://www.thejc.com/files/Swiss bank building.JPG Swiss bank in Zurich (Photo: Roland Fischer) 101032 World Jewish Congress names fourth secretary general in six years 47293 Holocaust Claims head meets British critics