The penniless founder of Dignitas 'now a multi-millionaire'

The founder of controversial Swiss suicide firm Dignitas has become a millionaire since setting up the group, a respected magazine has found.

Ludwig Minelli was virtually penniless when he founded the Swiss firm 12 years ago but was worth more than £1million by 2007, according to an investigation.

Although assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, it is against the law to profit financially from someone’s death.

The investigation by Swiss magazine Beobachter says Mr Minelli is 'skating on thin ice'.

The report, headlined Unexplained Wealth,asks: 'How could a 77-year-old pensioner amass so much wealth?'

It says the former journalist, who is also a qualified lawyer, had no assets in 1998 but is now worth a fortune and owns a large house near Zurich.

Accounting records obtained by the magazine claim to show Mr Minelli’s personal wealth reached almost two million Swiss francs (£1.2 million) by 2007.

His taxable income was 162,000 Swiss francs (£97,800) and his taxable assets were 1,998,000 Swiss francs (£1.2 million).

Organisations such as Dignitas are not obliged to publish full accounts so the magazine was unable to ascertain whether money had been transferred from the tax-free charity to Minelli.

Andreas Brunner, the state prosecutor in Zurich, said: 'A new law is needed that requires such organisations to explain every case. Exit and other big assisted suicide groups already do this voluntarily and unhesitatingly.

'We have never had a good look at the bookkeeping of Dignitas but in order to demand that we need a good reason and a concrete example that there is something suspicious to investigate.

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The tax officials no doubt have a good idea what is there but they have no obligations to publish that. Mr Minelli has promised for years to make the accounts public but it has never happened.'

Of the 5,700 people in 61 countries worldwide who have registered with Dignitas for 200 Swiss francs (£121), 724 are British.

There is an annual fee of 86 Swiss francs (£52), and a charge of 3,000 Swiss francs (£1,815) if the person decides to progress their application.

This covers the preparation of a file for one of Dignitas's six affiliated doctors, who decides whether to prescribe the barbiturate for a pain-free death.

By the time the applicant dies, further costs will have brought the grand total to 10,500 Swiss francs (£6,352).

It has also been claimed that some patients give generous donations to Dignitas, such as £60,000 in one case, in addition to the official fees.

Mr Minelli reacted angrily to the magazine’s accusations, calling the journalist 'indecent'. He said part of his wealth came from an inheritance from his mother.

The probe is not the first to cast a shadow over the finances of Dignitas, which uses the slogan: ‘Live with dignity, die with dignity'.

One nurse who assisted 30 deaths during her two and a half years at the clinic said she was so disturbed by its activities that she quit her job.

Soraya Wernli, who left Dignitas in 2005, has spoken to police about her concerns, saying she is convinced Dignitas is a money-making machine.

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She said: 'I joined because I believed it was a good organisation which helped the terminally ill end their suffering but I came to realise it was really something different. It was all done for money.

'Minelli is the secretary general, the chief executive, half of the board of directors and the accountant, all wrapped into one. He has found a way to make a lot of money out of death and the fear of it.'

In an interview last year, when asked if he was acting illegally Mr Minelli said: 'If the state prosecutors feel I’m making myself rich they should start legal proceedings.'

Not all critics support the view that Dignitas is a cash cow.

One retired Swiss doctor, who is no fan of Mr Minelli, was quoted in 2008 saying: 'This man is not about money, it’s all about his power over life and death.

'He’s like the mythical ferryman of the Styx, taking people over to the other side. And what was the ferryman paid: a single coin?'

Dignitas is often at the centre of controversy. Last month details emerged of a patient suffering from paranoid schizophrenia who was given drugs to end his life.

And in April scores of urns containing human ashes and bearing the logo of a cremation service thought to be used by Dignitas were found dumped in Lake Zurich.

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