The controversy surrounding the Swiss government's shredding of documents seized as part of a nuclear smuggling investigation continues to grow. On Friday the federal criminal court rejected a bail application by two Swiss brothers accused of supplying parts for Libya's nuclear weapons programme. Experts criticise the lack of separation of powers and mounting speculation that the United States, concerned that its agents were implicated, had demanded the documents be destroyed. "The government is not above the law – even when the security or the interests of the country are involved," said legal expert Thomas Fleiner, director of the Federalism Institute at Fribourg University. He said that neither the government nor parliament could interfere with the competency of the courts. Niklaus Oberholzer, president of the St Gallen board of indictment, also believed the separation of powers had been breached, describing the incident as a "monstrosity".