REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ZURICH - Switzerland's prosecutor had been alerted by police of suspected money-laundering and bribery in connection with ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych but had not launched a formal investigation, the authority's spokeswoman said on Saturday.

The prosecutor said it was notified of the allegations against Yanukovych and members of his entourage by an arm of the Swiss federal police tasked with liaising with Swiss banks in cases of suspected money-laundering.

Ukraine's pro-Moscow Yanukovych was toppled on Feb. 22 amid street protests in Kiev over his decision to ditch a trade deal with Europe in favour of economic ties with former Soviet overlord Russia. Following his fall he fled to Russia where he has made several media appearances, most recently last week.

"The notification of suspected money-laundering is in connection with potential corruption practices, in which Viktor Yanukovych and people close to him may appear," a spokeswoman for the prosecutor said.

This did not mean the prosecutor had opened a formal investigation into Yanukovych or people close to him, she said.

The move follows a Swiss-ordered freeze last month, since widened to include more nine more people, on any funds in Swiss banks found to be linked to Yanukovych, who is suspected of human rights abuses and misuse of state funds.

Ukraine's new prime minister, Arseny Yatseniuk, has said Yanukovych embezzled as much as 37 billion USD during three years in office. The European Union, Britain, Switzerland and others have already frozen assets of Ukrainians suspected of misappropriating state funds, after Yanukovych was toppled following months of demonstrations against a decision to spurn a free trade deal with the EU for closer ties with Russia.

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