Covid leaks investigator steps down for ‘personal reasons’

Swiss special prosecutor Peter Marti has stepped down from an investigation into alleged health ministry leaks of Covid-19 strategy. Marti had suspected the health ministry communications chief of leaking details of impending pandemic lockdowns in advance to the media. The allegations caused uproar in Switzerland where some people had opposed government-imposed restrictions during the pandemic. On Thursday, it was revealed that Marti has now asked to be released from his investigative duties for “personal reasons”. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said it had accepted Marti’s resignation and will take over the investigation. Marti, a former judge and district attorney, was appointed in January 2021 as a special public prosecutor to look into separate allegations of official secrecy violations. During an increasingly convoluted investigation, Marti stumbled on emails that suggested the health ministry communications chief had been tipping off the media about Covid...