A group of French politicians was not on a friendly visit to Switzerland yesterday, according to Christoph Darbellay, president of the Parliamentary Committee for Economic Affairs and Taxation.

The politicians were gathering information about Swiss banking secrecy and are members of the French Investigatory Committee for Capital Flight, hoping to better hinder tax avoidance in France.

“My role as committee president is to make laws, find solutions for the future. And not to answer questions of a foreign investigatory committee,” Darbellay told public television.

“These three senators, two Social Democrats and a Communist, have a clear focus.  ’Switzerland is a tax oasis.’ Wrong.  ’Switzerland is a criminal country.’ Also wrong. So that’s not my role.”

The committee met with State Secretary for International Financial Matters Michael Ambühl.

French Senator Eric Bocquet told La Tribune de Genéve the politicians were just visiting, and Switzerland was not a target of French authorities.

He said the Swiss are being watched by tax officials from all over the world.