World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab has filed a criminal complaint against the whistleblowers who had anonymously alleged misconduct by him, the Financial Times reported on Thursday (May 29, 2025), citing an interview with Mr. Schwab.

The Forum had launched an investigation in April into Mr. Schwab following a whistleblower letter alleging misconduct by him, only a day after the 87-year-old Mr. Schwab said he was resigning as chairman without stating a reason. Mr. Schwab told the FT that he would fight the “stupid and constructed” allegations, adding that his lawyers had filed a complaint for defamation and coercion with the public prosecutor in Geneva.

WEF, whose annual gathering of business and political leaders in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos has become a symbol of globalisation, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Mr. Schwab could not be immediately reached. There was no immediate response from the Geneva prosecutor’s office.

The FT report said the WEF had declined to comment on Mr. Schwab’s legal action, saying it was “a matter apparently directed privately against unknown whistleblowers”.

“We will have this public prosecutor investigation now, we don’t know how aggressive they will be,” Mr. Schwab said. “If they find a systemic attempt to undermine my reputation, this won’t be comfortable for the board.”

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the probe in April, had said the anonymous letter raised concerns about WEF’s governance and workplace culture, including allegations that the Schwab family mixed their personal affairs with the Forum’s resources without proper oversight. The Schwab family denied all the allegations in the whistleblower complaint to the Journal. Mr. Schwab also denied all allegations against him to the Financial Times. The Forum has previously stated that it would wait for the outcome of the investigation to comment further.