A senior official at canton Basel-Country's migration office is on trial for illegally denying hundreds of EU citizens the right to live in Switzerland.
The 49-year-old department head allegedly told nearly 500 EU nationals with minor criminal records that they were not entitled to a Swiss work permit, in breach of the Free Movement of Persons agreement.
Prosecutors say she deliberately sent informal letters rather than formal decisions, blocking the appeals that would have overturned most of her rulings.
The accused has since moved on to a job with the right-wing Swiss People's Party.
Her trial raises fresh questions about how cantonal migration offices apply the narrow limits on EU citizens' right to live and work here.
First new AVS payment due
Contraception free or not?
Vignette patrols stepped up
Fuel prices close to record high
Job losses add up
Mountain attraction record broken
