The government of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft announced on Wednesday morning that it plans to install an external person to provisionally lead the Bank Council of the Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (BLKB). The interim appointment is expected to be made by early September.

At the same time, the process to permanently elect a new president of the Bank Council has been initiated. The election is expected to be completed by no later than July 1, 2026.

The cantonal government expects to receive an initial report by the end of August regarding the circumstances surrounding the impairment of BLKB’s investment in Radicant Holding. The report has been commissioned by BLKB.

Open to Parliamentary Investigation

The significant impairments were the reason for the resignations of Bank Council President Thomas Schneider and CEO John Häfelfinger.

In addition, the cantonal government indicated that it is open to the establishment of a parliamentary investigation committee or to a review by another Landrat (cantonal parliament) commission. «It lies within the parliament’s competence to decide in which Landrat body the political examination of BLKB’s investment in Radicant Holding should be conducted,» the statement continues.

The interim Bank Council president will be tasked with ensuring the neutral oversight of the external investigation and, together with the vice president of the Bank Council, Nadia Tarolli, strengthening political and public trust in BLKB.