Posted on 01/16/2011 5:03:35 AM PST by markomalley
The offshore bank account details of 2,000 "high net worth individuals" and corporations – detailing massive potential tax evasion – will be handed over to the WikiLeaks organisation in London tomorrow by the most important and boldest whistleblower in Swiss banking history, Rudolf Elmer, two days before he goes on trial in his native Switzerland.
British and American individuals and companies are among the offshore clients whose details will be contained on CDs presented to WikiLeaks at the Frontline Club in London. Those involved include, Elmer tells the Observer, "approximately 40 politicians".
Elmer, who after his press conference will return to Switzerland from exile in Mauritius to face trial, is a former chief operating officer in the Cayman Islands and employee of the powerful Julius Baer bank, which accuses him of stealing the information.
He is also – at a time when the activities of banks are a matter of public concern – one of a small band of employees and executives seeking to blow the whistle on what they see as unprofessional, immoral and even potentially criminal activity by powerful international financial institutions.
Along with the City of London and Wall Street, Switzerland is a fortress of banking and financial services, but famously secretive and expert in the concealment of wealth from all over the world for tax evasion and other extra-legal purposes.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Why announce in advance something you are about to do which will apparently be so devastating to powerful interests? If it really is that devastating, he wouldn’t live to see it through...
I’ll bet there are some “progressive, liberal” names on that list. Not paying their “fair” share of taxes...
On this I say: GOOD!
“approximately 40 politicians”.
Am betting the Clintons will be on the list.
You can bet their names will mysteriously be omitted.
al gore and clinton would be on the list
Joe Lieberman
I’m no fan of Assange but if it pans out, this oughta be good... For all of us. I’d like to know why Charlie Rangel’s so chummy with Bermuda’s banking elite.
And they will be shocked and horrified at what their evil accountants did behind their backs.
Ah, good old class envy. It never ceases to delight. I wonder where the point is where one is no longer a "person in the street" and becomes one of the "big people". What's next? Tracking down everyone who avoides sales tax by purchasing online or by traveling to a neighboring state? Or maybe that should still be OK for "the person in the street" but not for the "big people". ;-)
If it’s a threat to a Western tradition or institution, you can bet it’s standard issue Marxist ‘morality’ that is propelling this whistleblower. Of course, odds are that his political names will NOT be progressive ones.
Didn’t Bernie Madoff “take out” all the rich Progressives already?
“will be handed over to the WikiLeaks organisation in London tomorrow”
Dead man walking. E-mailing or uploading would have been much better
A cynic might think that the names are being withheld to give both Rudolf Elmer and Assange some leverage in fighting their international legal problems. If the names of famous politicians and other influential people appear on the list, governments might be pressured to go easy on the legal charges, or the names will be made public.
And WikiLeaks’ high-tech extortion racket continues.
Soros will be among the first few to put out a contract out on this guy......I think!
“approximately 40 politicians”.
Its going to fun to hear the spin on those Democrats.
Unless he works for SOros
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.