Swiss approve extradition of key figure in German “cum-ex” tax fraud case
Hanno Berger is a defendant in a tax evasion court case in Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt, that opened in March 2021. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Keystone / Boris Roessler
The Swiss government has approved the extradition of Hanno Berger, a German lawyer sought in a major tax evasion case.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/AP/DPA/sb
The Federal Office of Justice confirmed on Friday that it had issued an order on August 20 for the extradition of the German lawyer. The development was reported earlier by DPA news agency and Handelsblatt.
Berger, who was arrested in Switzerland last month, has been indicted in Germany on charges of tax evasion in connection with the so-called “cum-ex” scheme. The scandal is Germany’s biggest post-war fraud involving a share-trading scheme that the authorities say cost taxpayers billions of euros.
Berger is accused of promoting the scheme and helping investment bankers who swapped shares to collect multiple reimbursement for taxes they had only paid once.
He was arrested on July 7 in Switzerland, where he has been living in exile. Berger is a defendant in a court case in Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt, that opened in March.
The German lawyer has always denied any wrongdoing in conversations with Reuters and said what he did was within the law.
The extradition decision can be appealed to Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Tribunal within 30 days.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
Why cars still reign supreme in ‘rail-nation’ Switzerland
Swiss central banker wants to boost equity to head off risks
This content was published on
Equity levels at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) are much too low for the risks its large balance sheet poses, according to Martin Schlegel.
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Another Swiss bank settles German tax evasion probe
This content was published on
The dispute centered around accounts held for German citizens who failed to declare taxes between 2004 and 2009. Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland borders Germany. In 2015 the bank also agreed to pay the United States $1.6 million to clear up a similar investigation. Since 2009 the bank says it has adopted a “white money” strategy…
Swiss court finds former banker guilty of selling client data
This content was published on
A former employee of the leading Swiss bank UBS has been sentenced to 40 months in jail for passing stolen bank data to the German authorities.
Swiss tax spy avoids jail time as Frankfurt trial ends
This content was published on
A Swiss man on trial in Frankfurt has been found guilty of spying on the tax authorities of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
Swiss help Germans with tax evasion raids at Sarasin
This content was published on
Numerous bankers and lawyers in the cantons Basel City, Basel Country, Graubünden, St Gallen, Schywz, Zurich and Zug received a visit from the police and public prosecutors. In an unusual act of cooperation with Germany over the thorny issue of Swiss banks helping German citizens evade taxes, the Zurich Public Prosecutor’s Office coordinated the raids,…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.