High Court Directive on Timeliness of Payments Under Procedural Law Following Federal Supreme Court Act

The High Court issued a directive announcing a change in practice regarding the timeliness of payments under procedural law, specifically concerning § 83 Abs. 1 ZPO, in light of the Federal Law on the Federal Supreme Court coming into force on January 1, 2007. The court reasoned that the new federal law, which stipulates that a payment deadline is met if the amount is handed over to the Swiss Post or debited to a Swiss postal or bank account by the last day of the deadline, justifies abandoning the previous practice which gave different considerations for electronic payment orders. Consequently, the lower courts were instructed to amend their cost rulings to align with this new standard, effective March 1, 2007, ensuring that payments made in cash, handed to the Post, or debited to a Swiss account on the deadline date are considered timely.