As can be seen in images, the police arrived in Oensingen (SO) with several officers and confiscated horses. ‘The entire courtyard was filled with vehicles and police officers,’ said a witness who wished to remain anonymous. Schwizer is reportedly being prosecuted for debts. ‘There were a lot of people,’ the witness continued. Trucks of various sizes were parked on the premises. The witness said six horses were taken away. Other sources say five.
In terms of sport, however, everything has been going very well for Pius Schwizer in recent years. With a bronze medal at the Olympic Games, a gold medal at the European Championships, former world number one status and several Swiss championship titles, the rider is a true legend. Financially, however, the situation is very different. The Swiss rider collects not only prizes, but also lawsuits. In June last year, his creditors demanded a total of around 600,000 francs from him.
Among them was Brigitte Schreier. She lent Pius Schwizer 500,000 francs, but the rider failed to honour the agreements made. As a result, Brigitte Schreier and her husband sued him for 380,000 francs. But she assures us that she is not behind this raid, even though Schreier is still waiting for 200,000 francs from the athlete.
At this point, it is impossible to know exactly what the authorities are accusing Pius Schwizer of. ‘On Thursday evening, the Solothurn cantonal police carried out a raid in Oensingen,’ according to the police. Schwizer also confirms that the police visited his farm, but he sees nothing new in this. ‘It’s always the same,’ he says, without going into detail about the police action.
The world-famous rider is in the process of paying off his debts, and his creditors have already received part of their claims, but according to the sportsman, they are demanding ‘everything at once’. ‘You can’t spend more than you earn,’ he criticises. According to him, the intervention came about because of the pressure his creditors put on the authorities. Pius Schwizer was not there himself and regrets that these kinds of interventions often take place when he is competing: ‘They know when I’m not there and come at exactly that moment.’
Meanwhile, Pius Schwizer attributes his financial difficulties to the coronavirus pandemic. ‘Sometimes you only notice it four or five years later,’ he says. He emphasises that he wants to meet his obligations but asks for time: ‘They will be repaid. They just have to be patient,’ the rider tells his creditors.