Languages
- French
- English
- Spanish
- German
Jean-Bernard Schmid is a trained lawyer and a financial crime expert, mainly active in the field of litigation and criminal law.
He obtained his Master's degree in Law from the University of Geneva and was admitted to the Geneva Bar in 1980.
Jean-Bernard gained a strong professional expertise as a trial lawyer before joining the public service with the judiciary of the Canton of Geneva. From 1998 to 2017, he held an elected office as public prosecutor and investigating magistrate, specializing in white collar crime, international criminal proceedings, asset recovery and mutual legal assistance. He worked on large-scale international corruption cases, implicating heads of states and high profile kleptocrats.
Jean-Bernard participated in numerous conferences and workshops on AML/CFT, mutual legal assistance and asset recovery, notably for the Organisation on Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Bank, including its Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR Initiative), and similar bodies.
He joined CMS in April 2021, while still holding an office as substitute judge for the Geneva Penal Court and being called, at times, to run criminal enquiries as special prosecutor for the Surveillance Authority of the Federal Public Prosecutor or administrative ones for the Canton of Geneva.