In the 7th paragraph, specified that it is on the data leak that the bank will investigate
Munich/Berlin (awp/ats/dpa) – The bank Credit Suisse has for years accepted as clients autocrats, drug and human traffickers as well as suspected war criminals, according to an investigation by several media . The institution disputes these accusations.
The research was carried out by the German daily “Süddeutsche Zeitung” in collaboration with the television channels NDR and WDR as well as several other international media partners, including the British newspaper “Guardian”, the French “Le Monde” and the American “New York Times”. These media analyzed bank data provided by an anonymous source, according to the newspaper.
The documents provide account information for more than 30,000 Credit Suisse clients from around the world, according to the report. The files of 18,000 accounts worth 100 billion dollars are concerned.
Criminals were able to open accounts or keep them when “the bank could have known long ago that it was dealing with criminals”, according to the investigation. Many heads of state and government, ministers and heads of the secret services as well as oligarchs and cardinals are said to have been clients of the bank.
The bank rejects the charges
Credit Suisse said in a statement that it firmly rejects “allegations and insinuations regarding the bank’s alleged business practices”.
The facts presented are essentially historical, in some cases dating back to the 1940s, the bank said. They are based on “partial, inaccurate or selective information taken out of context”.
For legal reasons, Credit Suisse cannot comment on potential client relationships. The bank further indicates that it will “lead the investigation” into the data leak with an internal task force including specialized external experts.
Swiss media absent
“I think Swiss banking secrecy is immoral,” the source of the analyzed data said. “The pretext of protecting the financial privacy is only a fig leaf to conceal the shameful role of Swiss banks as collaborators of tax evaders”.
The Credit Suisse data was assessed in conjunction with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) as well as 46 media partners around the world, according to the German newspaper.
Swiss media such as Tamedia have waived participation in this research, because since 2015 journalists risk criminal proceedings if they write about leaked bank data, the German-speaking newspaper “Tagesanzeiger” tweeted on Sunday evening.