The Bribing Banker
Swiss banks are no longer what they used to be. The ‘secrecy veil’ has been lifted to a large extent. Money launderers found ‘safer’ havens for their dirty money. This week it was announced that a Swiss banker, the former CEO of Tempus PrivatBank, is indicted for corruption and money laundering after a 7 (!) year investigation. A ghost from the past?
Sources claim the the investigation started when a drug trafficker informed the police about the banker’s role in a money laundering scheme. Based on the suspicions, investigators infiltrated a drug network and sought help from the banker to launder money that the police spy pretended came from trafficking, the government office said in a statement. The banker took the bait. Based on the suspicions, investigators infiltrated a drug network and sought help from the banker to launder money that the police spy pretended came from trafficking, the government office said in a statement. The Swiss government alleges that Holenweger made false representations to banks in the process, while the money from the offshore accounts was used by industrial giant Alstom to bribe officials to win projects and increase market share in foreign countries.
In March 2003 the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) arrested three Alstom executives in a corruption probe. UK sources claim that Alstom used money on an offshore account to bribe officials abroad for approx $65 million to secure contracts. According to Swisster, bribes – commonly labeled as “commissions” – were long seen as a way for European businesses to secure business in overseas markets but France outlawed such practices in 2000 after the OECD called for states to stop approving them. Alstom updated its code of ethics this year and maintains it now has “rules and control procedures at the best international standards”.
Banker’s taking customer service to the next (illegal) level; a blast from the past or still common practice? Some things really change.
http://www.swisster.ch/news/business/zurich-banker-charged-alstom-fraud-case.htm
