Vienna. About the morale of the man who told the story of the first time can be splendid arguments. For some, Hervé Falciani of “Edward Snowden of banks,” a courageous discoverers of dark intrigue of the Swiss financial world. For the other computer scientist and former employees of a Geneva subsidiary of the British banking giant HSBC is a ruthless con artists. A windy-agile players who wanted to make his catch from 2008 with other banks to money, the first driven into a corner salvation was looking at the French judicial and now styled as a hero.
About the moral of the story itself can judge much clearer since Monday: What landed after many detours in France crooked investigators, is the largest data breach in the banking industry. It’s about account amounts of € 75 billion, which had stashed about 106,000 customers in 203 countries at the Swiss HSBC. That a large part of it is black money, but there is no lack of clear instructions.
Almost no one has declared
Moreover, the noble private banking house washed – at least until 2007 – even the dirty money by corrupt politicians, infamous weapons valves, distributors of blood diamonds and alleged financier of al-Qaeda. In many of the allegations were known, some were already convicted relevant. HSBC would have been required by law to report any suspected case – what the Institute did not. It is not made himself the black sheep of the Swiss banking scene, but was part of the herd – again:. At least until recently,
That at once so much about it is known that journalists network is thanks to them that with LuxLeaks a discussion about the practices of tax avoidance by multinational corporations has unleashed. The Parisian newspaper “Le Monde” received the data from the Treasury and shared them with media in 45 countries. The summary of SwissLeaks is available on the website of ICIJ; reported on German has the Süddeutsche Zeitung on Monday. On the lists is accordingly also find the names of illustrious persons such as senior executives, rock stars and Hollywood actors. To make the customer a private bank in a tax haven with banking secrecy public, of course is a tricky thing. It’s not said that it is black money deposited in amounts
However, the sample was put the rule in France sobering. <--- - - - Inline Slideshow end - - ->: From around 3000 studied accounts proved only six, so meager 0.2 percent, declared for tax purposes as clean. Twelve states, including Germany, knocked from 2009 with the French and received data. Six now call the amounts subsequently paid in taxes and penalties to which they have helped them in total of one billion euros. The most successful on Spain and India, which could encash 15 percent each of the deposited in Switzerland sum.
400 customers from Austria
And Austria? In this country, just under 400 wealthy citizens before the year 2008, the Swiss subsidiary HSBC their assets. The volume: around one billion euros. The Treasury but I have not sought the cooperation, the Finance Department reports on application of the “Press”. Because according to official EU aid procedures, the French colleagues had to report to him; if they do not, well, you would “not be complacent.” Because applies a tax agreement with Switzerland since 2013 might in any case only a part of the data to be relevant.
Strange are the reactions of HSBC. Initially, the bank should have tried to intimidate journalists Klagsdrohungen. When this failed, admitted the charge of misconduct a spoke of “control failure” and “too many high-risk accounts”. On Monday, the head of the Swiss HSBC went on the offensive. Franco Morra says now of “radical conversion” and “new managers” who would have done away with the “historical business practices”. The revelations only to remind him that “the old business model of Swiss banks is no longer acceptable”
As a testament to the changing internal data should be used. The assets under management declined since 2007 from $ 120 billion on 70000000000. Of course, it would be naive to assume that most owners of unwanted funds contrite report to the Treasury. $ 30 billion flowed in 2013, the HSBC branches in tax havens Singapore and Hong Kong, is to be found in the Annual Report. And last year took over the Liechtenstein LGT a volume of ten billion dollars. In Switzerland itself appears to result in the “white money” strategy to the fact that no longer postpone the problem institutes welcome customers to the other. The “Süddeutsche” quoted an HSBC manager: “It’s like playing cards, Black Peter ‘.”
HSBC according to the total assets, the largest bank in Europe and the second largest in the world. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation was founded in 1865 by a Scottish businessman and a German partner bank in China. Its headquarters is in London today. In SwissLeaks it comes to a Swiss subsidiary in Geneva, which specializes in private banking.
(“Die Presse”, print edition, 10/2/2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment