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Abu Dhabi Times:
Dr. Podovsovnik, you represent Rabbi Ephraim Meir in one of the most significant lawsuits ever filed against UBS Group AG. In recent weeks, we’ve heard that more and more people are coming forward, claiming they were also wronged. What exactly is happening?
Dr. Podovsovnik:
Yes, that’s correct. We’re now being contacted every single day by new claimants — families from Poland, Austria, France, Belgium, even the United States — who all share the same experience: they were dismissed by the so-called Claims Resolution Tribunal (CRT) with the dry phrase “No matching.”
No wonder. The CRT’s selection system was severely limited from the start. It only considered accounts with clearly identifiable names. Yet the historic Swiss accounts — especially those from 1933 to 1945 — were designed quite differently: anonymous, password-protected, often accessible only through codewords. These accounts were never examined. That was, in fact, their very purpose — to protect Jewish assets from Nazi confiscation.
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Abu Dhabi Times:
How large-scale was this omission?
Dr. Podovsovnik:
Officially, the CRT listed 471 banks, but only 277 were actually reviewed. That left 254 banks completely untouched — including several major institutions with enormous client holdings.
Within those 277 banks, 6.2 million accounts were identified — but only there.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that at least another 6 million accounts existed elsewhere, simply excluded from review — especially numbered accounts, password accounts, and anonymous trust vehicles that didn’t fit the CRT’s criteria.
Of the 6.2 million accounts originally identified, only about 300,000 were examined in any depth, and a mere 52,000 were shortlisted.
Those were then entered into a database — and according to eyewitnesses, this is where systematic data manipulation occurred. Entries were intentionally miscoded so that legitimate Jewish claims became untraceable. That was no accident. It was manipulation.
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Abu Dhabi Times:
What role did UBS play in this system?
Dr. Podovsovnik:
According to information Rabbi Ephraim Meir received from inside sources, UBS was deeply embedded in that structure — organizationally, technically, and financially.
It managed precisely those anonymous accounts that were deliberately excluded from CRT scrutiny.
Many affected families come from Poland — a country that still has no restitution law. This means Poland retained vast amounts of confiscated Jewish wealth. We therefore intend to include Poland itself among the defendants — not to punish the past, but to achieve justice in the present.
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Abu Dhabi Times:
Can you give us examples?
Dr. Podovsovnik:
Yes, several. One family from near Kraków contacted us: their grandfather was a banker, his bank was seized by the Nazis, and the accounts vanished into Switzerland. After the war, the only response they received was “No matching.”
The bank was gone. The property was never restituted.
In another case, the family even knew the exact password and codeword of its anonymous account — yet the CRT rejected the claim because no personal name was attached. That illustrates the absurdity of the entire system.
Instead of investigating the provenance of funds, the Tribunal simply looked away.
Rabbi Meir put it clearly: “This was a deliberate strategy.” And I agree.
This bureaucratic process erased thousands of legitimate claims — not through violence, but through administration.
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Abu Dhabi Times:
What exactly are you demanding now?
Dr. Podovsovnik:
First, a complete re-examination of all excluded accounts, especially the anonymous, code- and password-protected ones.
Second, the establishment of a new, truly independent CRT under international supervision, equipped with digital forensics and unrestricted access to every relevant archive.
And third, the restitution of all funds still held by UBS, Credit Suisse, and other institutions. These funds do not belong to the banks for profit. They were entrusted to them — to protect against Nazi seizure, not to enrich the custodians.
As Rabbi Meir has said:
“These funds were placed in the banks in absolute trust, to keep them safe from the Nazis. They must be returned to those who rightfully own them — or, where no heirs remain, to organizations that can fairly distribute them to families in need.”
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Abu Dhabi Times:
And what does all this mean for Switzerland itself?
Dr. Podovsovnik:
Switzerland can no longer portray itself as a neutral bystander. It created and benefited from the very system that enabled this injustice.
We will therefore hold not only UBS accountable, but the Swiss state itself.
When a nation designs and endorses a restitution process that excludes millions of Jewish claims, it bears responsibility.
The era of silence is over. The era of accountability has begun.
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Abu Dhabi Times:
Your closing words, Dr. Podovsovnik?
Dr. Podovsovnik:
What is surfacing here is not just another chapter of history — it is an open wound.
Behind every one of those anonymous accounts lies a family, a name, a life.
Switzerland, UBS, and the CRT’s leadership will have to face that responsibility.
This time, nothing will be swept under the rug — not with the excuse of “No matching.”
