London: A former Swiss private banker handed over data on hundreds of offshore bank account holders to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at a news conference on Monday.
Rudolf Elmer once headed the office of Julius Baer in the Cayman Islands until he was fired by the bank in 2002. He is scheduled to go on trial in Switzerland on Wednesday for breaching bank secrecy. Elmer handed Assange the data at a media club in London. The two yellow and blue discs contain information on 2,000 banking clients who have parked money offshore. “He (Elmer) is clearly a bona fide whistleblower... We have some kind of duty to support him in that matter,” said Assange, who is on bail in Britain and fighting extradition to Sweden where he faces questioning over alleged sex crimes.
TNN adds: Clandestine offshore accounts held by super rich Indians, including politicians, are often a matter of discussion in India. The Supreme Court, too, is seized of the matter. While hearing a case, it recently asked the government about the steps taken by it to bring back money that has been illegally salted away in tax havens. Elmer, who worked in the Cayman Islands for eight years, said: “I know how the system works... It’s damaging... (I want) to educate our society.” WikiLeaks will vet the data before publishing it. The process will take at least two weeks, Assange said.
On Sunday, Elmer had said that he hoped his appearance at the news conference would both call attention to offshore financial abuses and promote WikiLeaks as a mechanism for other whistleblowers to air their stories. REUTERS
Rudolf Elmer once headed the office of Julius Baer in the Cayman Islands until he was fired by the bank in 2002. He is scheduled to go on trial in Switzerland on Wednesday for breaching bank secrecy. Elmer handed Assange the data at a media club in London. The two yellow and blue discs contain information on 2,000 banking clients who have parked money offshore. “He (Elmer) is clearly a bona fide whistleblower... We have some kind of duty to support him in that matter,” said Assange, who is on bail in Britain and fighting extradition to Sweden where he faces questioning over alleged sex crimes.
TNN adds: Clandestine offshore accounts held by super rich Indians, including politicians, are often a matter of discussion in India. The Supreme Court, too, is seized of the matter. While hearing a case, it recently asked the government about the steps taken by it to bring back money that has been illegally salted away in tax havens. Elmer, who worked in the Cayman Islands for eight years, said: “I know how the system works... It’s damaging... (I want) to educate our society.” WikiLeaks will vet the data before publishing it. The process will take at least two weeks, Assange said.
On Sunday, Elmer had said that he hoped his appearance at the news conference would both call attention to offshore financial abuses and promote WikiLeaks as a mechanism for other whistleblowers to air their stories. REUTERS
BRINGING TO ACCOUNT: Elmer handed over the CD to Assange in London
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