Swiss Leaks
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Swiss Leaks (or SwissLeaks) is the name of a journalistic investigation of a giant tax evasion scheme allegedly operated with the knowledge and encouragement of the British multinational bank HSBC via its Swiss subsidiary, HSBC Private Bank (Suisse).[1]
<templatestyles src="Template:TOC limit/styles.css" />
Investigation
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In February 2015, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) website released information about bank accounts in Switzerland under the title Swiss Leaks: Murky Cash Sheltered by Bank Secrecy.[2] The investigation was conducted by over 130 journalists in Paris, Washington, Geneva, and 46 other countries.[1]
Investigators allege that 180.6 billion euros passed through HSBC accounts held in Geneva by over 100,000 clients and 20,000 offshore companies between November 2006 and March 2007. The data for this period comes from files removed from HSBC Private Bank by a former staffer, software engineer Hervé Falciani,[1] and handed to French authorities in late 2008.[3] The disclosed information has been called "the biggest leak in Swiss banking history".[4]
The ICIJ alleges that the bank profited from tax evaders and other clients.[2][5]
Media coverage
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.BBC reported that HSBC had put pressure on media not to report about the controversy, with British Newspaper The Guardian claiming HSBC advertising had been put "on pause" after The Guardian's coverage of the matter.[6] Peter Oborne, chief political commentator at Daily Telegraph resigned from the paper; in an open letter he claimed the Daily Telegraph suppressed negative stories and dropped investigations into HSBC because of the bank's advertising.[7] CBS published a story about the leaks in the news segment 60 Minutes.[8]
See also
- 2008 Liechtenstein tax affair
- Lagarde list – a subset of the data set, passed on to the Greek government in 2010 by French finance minister Christine Lagarde
- Luxembourg Leaks
- Offshore financial center
- Offshore leaks
- Tax haven
- Panama Papers
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- International Consortium of Investigative Journalists: Swiss Leaks: Murky Cash Sheltered by Bank Secrecy
- Guardian: HSBC files show how Swiss bank helped clients dodge taxes and hide millions
- Daniel Glaus (SonntagsZeitung/Tages-Anzeiger) Bin Laden’s “Golden Chain” – an article on clients of HSBC with alleged connections to Al-Qaeda
- EurActiv: 'Swiss Leaks' catastrophic for African economies
- New York Times: Swiss Prosecutors Search Offices of HSBC Unit
