(Bloomberg) -- Swiss prosecutors say they have a number of preliminary investigations underway into suspected cases of Russian sanctions evasion. 

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is in close contact with SECO, the Swiss agency responsible for monitoring and enforcing sanctions, and the Swiss Money Laundering Reporting Office, it said in a statement in response to enquiries on Wednesday. “Various investigations are currently underway, about which no further information can be provided,” it said.

SwissInfo reported earlier that SECO has referred cases of two commodity trading companies suspected of violating the sanctions imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, citing a report from Swiss broadcaster SRF. SECO has classified the offenses as particularly serious, and therefore passed on the results of its probe to federal prosecutors, according to Swissinfo.  

SECO declined to comment. The prosecutor’s office declined to say if SECO had referred any cases to it for investigation but said that it will initiate an investigation only if an application has been submitted. 

Switzerland, long a magnet for Russian oligarch riches and a commodity-trading hub, has faced criticism for not being tough enough in enforcing European Union sanctions or chasing down rogue Russian money. The Swiss city of Zug is also a hub for metals-trading and at the time of the 2022 invasion, at least 40 Russian firms had a presence there. 

Read more: Russia Inc.’s Swiss Trading Hub Wrestles With ‘Dark Side’ 

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