Swiss Leaks

Swiss Leaks: Murky Cash Sheltered by Bank Secrecy - ICIJ

How one of the world's largest banks helped shelter millions in accounts linked to arms dealers, dictators and tax evaders, On the 10th anniversary of ICIJ's Offshore Leaks investigation, director Gerard Ryle traces a path from the original tax haven exposé through to the Panama Papers, Pandora Papers and beyond., Facing international pressure to shed light on shadowy corporate ownership, government plans to reveal who actually owns legal entities., Years of complex exposés on the offshore financial system has bred a global army of journalists who know the right questions to ask to investigate dirty money, tax dodging and suspicious transactions. , Swiss prosecutors allege that the Israeli billionaire and business associates bribed a wife of the former Guinean president to obtain lucrative mining rights., The territory’s secrecy rules have long attracted criminals and secretive companies created there have featured in several ICIJ investigations on offshore finance., A landmark ruling against the beneficiary of an undeclared Swiss bank account could be a breakthrough moment for authorities hunting hidden wealth., Switzerland’s HSBC Private Bank admitted to encouraging wealthy Americans to hide $1.26 billion in assets from U.S. tax authorities., When HSBC's lawyers faced off against reporters prior to the publication of the Swiss Leaks investigation, their initial approach was to make legal threats. , The former head of the bank's private Swiss unit has been fined for his part in helping wealthy clients hide $1.8 billion from French authorities., Leaked records shine a light on how the bank helped shield the identities and machinations of the world’s rich and powerful through a single subsidiary., Mortimer Sackler's family's files were among 60,000 leaked documents that make up Swiss Leaks. Here's what we found., HSBC has agreed to pay $352 million to settle charges that it helped wealthy clients of its private Swiss bank evade taxes in France., With the release of a treasure trove of data about how HSBC helped clients shield income from tax collectors, more nations are asking France for the data, while other countries face growing demands from critics to do more in the hunt for lost tax revenue., Got a few million bucks you want to protect from the tax man, a nosey spouse or a greedy business acquaintance? Sovereign Management & Legal Ltd. says it has the answers., One weapons dealer, Katex Mines, helped fuel the Liberian rebel uprising using child soldiers that left hundreds of civilians dead and 2,000 injured., New revelations about a British lawyer who facilitated bribes through secret Swiss HSBC accounts in his name and names of family members may place the Nigerian government under pressure., Belgium, the center of the world's diamond trade, has charged HSBC’s Swiss Private Bank with fraud. And it's not just Belgium – many dealers are under investigation around the globe., From HSBC whistleblower Hervé Falciani to the French authorities to Le Monde and ICIJ, find out more about the dataset behind the Swiss Leaks project., When ICIJ and its media partners contacted the bank for comment, HSBC initially insisted that ICIJ destroy the data. Late last month, they gave a final response that was more conciliatory. Read it in full here., A team of journalists from 45 countries has unearthed secret bank accounts maintained for criminals, traffickers, tax dodgers, politicians and celebrities., HSBC client notes reveal how the bank sold ways to shield wealth from tax authorities – and set off investigations the world over of both the bank and clients., How Merck keeps the price of its blockbuster cancer drug sky-high, shutting out patients and straining health care systems around the world., Tens of thousands of secret photos and intelligence files expose the Assad regime’s killing machine., How the crypto boom minted a shadow economy that thrives on crime — and left a trail of devastated victims., How Beijing abuses international institutions to terrorize its critics and extend its repressive tactics worldwide., How Western oil companies bet on Kazakhstan, turned a blind eye to corruption risks — and ended up at the mercy of Vladimir Putin., A glimpse inside the tiny kingdom of Eswatini — Africa’s last absolute monarchy — where suspicious money flows and the elite exploit proximity to the king., A new investigation by ICIJ and 68 media partners exposes the sprawling financial industry that has powered the Putin regime as it dominates its neighbors — and undermines the West., An ICIJ-led cross-border investigation exposes how a lightly regulated sustainability industry overlooks forest destruction and human rights violations when granting environmental certifications., The case stems from ICIJ’s Cancer Calculus investigation into the world's best-selling drug’s sky-high price and its global consequences., The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau probe corroborates ICIJ and Citizen Lab’s findings that attacks against journalists were part of a coordinated espionage campaign sponsored by Beijing. , In a letter, Sen. Maggie Hassan cited ICIJ's Cancer Calculus investigation and expressed concerns that the pharma giant is boosting profits at the expense of patients., Nicos Anastasiades may have misused his office to advance his and his allies’ interests, according to a sprawling probe that also names his former law firm and other officials.