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Prosecutors target ‘Suisse Secrets’ bank whistleblowers

Bank vault being unlocked
Prosecutors want to find out who leaked banmking data to the media. Post@gaetanbally.ch +41 79 6672862 / 8047 Zurich

Swiss federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the leak of Credit Suisse bank data to the media last year.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) was given the green light to start the probe by the Federal Department of Justice.

+ Media freedom clashes with banking secrecy

The so-called ‘Suisse Secrets’ leak of bank client information hit the headlines in 2022, suggesting that criminals and corrupt officials held accounts at Credit Suisse.

This followed a series of press exposés based on data stolen from international  law firms connected with the financial sector.

The OAG is investigating suspected breaches of economic intelligence, trade secrets and banking secrecy laws.

+ Read how ‘Suisse Secrets’ unfolded

The OAG would not say who initiated the complaint or against whom the investigation is specifically directed. Last year, a Swiss newspaper said it has rejected the offer of leaked data as it feared criminal prosecution.

Switzerland tightened its banking secrecy laws in 2015 in the face of a spate of data thefts from Swiss banks.

The law is intended to punish anyone who profits from leaking data but also targets journalists who receive such information.

On Thursday, the government welcomed a parliamentary motion to ease restrictions on the freedom of the press.

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