Credit Suisse will maintain the fortunes of its customers around the world for years to come

Swiss bank Credit Suisse is said to have held the fortunes of those involved in corruption around the world for many years, with an accumulated value of about $ 100 billion (88 88 billion).

Revealed by a consortium of nearly 50 media companies consolidated by a non-profit organization. “Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Program” (OCCRP).

The New York Times had access to being part of the federation Data on approximately 18,000 Swiss bank accounts A year ago the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung was exposed by an unidentified person. The so-called “Swiss Secrets” investigation.

Informant He accused the Swiss bank of secrecy laws of being “immoral”. In a note sent to the Media Federation.

“The pretext for protecting financial privacy is mere figs, embodying the shameful role of Swiss banks as collaborators with tax evaders,” he told the New York Times.

Information leaks that follow, which led to press inquiries such as the “Panama Papers” Credit Suisse opened accounts between the 1940s and 2010s with customers who were “not only wealthy, but also people who are clearly aware of the problematic circumstances of anyone interested in the investigation.”

The bank, according to the North American newspaper, should Ignoring warnings from its own employees about “suspicious activity” on its customers’ funds, In:

• Accused Corruption In scandals related to Venezuela’s state oil company;
• Government figures Middle East;
• Senior officers Secret services in countries Those who cooperated with the United States in the war on terror and their families;

Account holders with balances Includes millions of dollars:

• Old Minister Energy VenezuelaNervis Villalophos;
• Children of the elderly President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak, Ala and Kamal Mubarak;
• Oh King Abdullah II of Jordan;
• Children of an officer Pakistan Secret Services, Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan, who helped send money to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan in the 1980s from the United States and other countries;

Some of the figures mentioned in the trial are Mubarak’s sons and the King of Jordan The Swiss financial system denied that the funds deposited in the second largest company came from any irregularities.

Credit Suisse dismissed the charge and several accounts were suspended

Candice Sun, a spokeswoman for Credit Suisse, told the New York Times Not only did the bank “dismiss” the allegations, but many of the accounts in question have already been closed, Emphasizes that the investigation is part of Defamation campaign “Against Swiss banking and financial markets, which have undergone major changes in recent decades.”

“Ninety percent of the accounts in question have already been closed, and more than 60 percent of them were closed before 2015,” the bank said, adding that it was “investigating” the data leak.

However, said Daniel Telskloff, former head of the Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Organization. Swiss banks, which have long been legally prohibited from receiving money associated with criminal activities, have not strictly enforced the law.

News reports by other members of the federation go in the same direction, denouncing alleged practices within the bank and directly involving Credit Suisse ‘”employees”.

Le Monde writes that the various media within the OCCRP show this “Wealthy customers who expect wisdom” were provided with tools to open anonymous accounts And the possibility of establishing holding companies with false names and trusts.

Corruption 2021

Credit Suisse, the second largest bank in Switzerland, a Series of scandals over the past year. In March, he was confronted The collapse of the financial institution in Greens – Allocated about 10 billion US dollars through four of those funds – then Explosion of the North American Archigos Fund, This will cost the bank about $ 5 billion.

In October, there was the Credit Suisse U.S. and UK officials have fined $ 475 million for lending to state-owned companies in Mozambique. Involved in hidden debt corruption.

Antonio Horda-Osorio, then president of Credit Suisse, was elected in late April amid turmoil. Restructuring the Bank’s operations with the aim of putting risk management back at the center of the company’s culture.

But he was the Portuguese banker who built a solid reputation for rescuing British bank Lloyds from the threat of bankruptcy. Kovid resigned in mid-January, stigmatized by reports in December of violating the 19-block ban. In October, he joined the board of directors and handed over the leadership of the bank to Axel Lehmann, a Swiss banker with a reputation for excellence in risk management.

The Swiss secret inquiry was published on Monday by several international media outlets, including the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, The Guardian and Le Monde, but no Swiss headlines.

The Tribune de Geneva, one The most valuable Swiss headlines from the TX Group (Tamedia) read, “The change in banking law in 2015 prevents journalists from working with bank data leaks. Even if these are in the public interest ”.

Section 47 of the law provides for “imprisonment for up to three years for anyone who reveals a secret.” […] Or use that secret for your own benefit or for the benefit of a third party.

“The legal risk was very high,” explained Switzerland’s largest private media group.

With LUSA

Learn more