Swiss whistleblower detained: report

Rudolf Elmer handed bank client data to wikileaks in 2007

AFP | January 24, 2011



Former Swiss banker Rudolf Elmer, who was found guilty of breaching bank secrecy laws over his transfer of client data to the online website Wikileaks, has been remanded in custody, press reports said today.

The former chief operating officer at private bank Julius Baer's subsidiary in the Cayman Islands was detained yesterday because he risks destroying evidence, his lawyer Ganden Tethong Blattner told ATS news agency.

Elmer plans to appeal against Wednesday's court decision that found him guilty of handing over secret files to the whistleblowing site and sentenced him to a suspended fine of 7,200 Swiss francs (5,500 euros), the lawyer said.

Dismissed by the bank in 2002, the 55-year-old former banker handed over a first set of bank client data to Wikileaks in 2007 in his stated quest to expose tax evasion systems.

But barely out of court, the ex-banker was arrested a second time by Swiss police for having handed over another two CD-ROMs to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at a press conference in London on Monday.

The data, he said, came from at least three financial institutions and covered a period from 1990 to 2009.

"Switzerland puts itself in the crosshairs with such acts," WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told Sonntag daily, adding that Elmer's detention justifies faster publication by the website of the data he submitted.

WikiLeaks said on its website that it will publish the documents at the most "in two weeks."

 

Comments

 

Other News

Doctors, experts call for ban on junk food ads, mandate warning labels

More than 30 doctors, medical scientists and public health professionals have urged the government to take decisive action against the aggressive advertising and marketing of junk food, calling for a watershed ban on advertisements for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) and ultra-processed foods (UPF

Asiatic Lion population rises from 523 in 2015 to 891 in 2025

On World Lion Day 2026, environment, forest and climate change Minister  Bhupender Yadav celebrated India’s remarkable journey in lion conservation and reaffirmed the country’s unwavering commitment to protecting wildlife and biodiversity.   In a post on soc

Railways imposed ₹5.13 crore fine for food quality and hygiene violations

Indian Railways serve about 58 crore meals every year on an average. About only 0.0008% food quality related complaints are received on average. Based on complaints during the last three years, appropriate penal actions have been taken by IRCTC. Such actions include imposition of fines amounting to ₹5.13

STHAVAR: Why every Indian built asset needs a permanent digital identity

India has built digital systems for identity, payments, taxation, documents, logistics and public services. State governments, ministries, infrastructure agencies and urban local bodies have also created portals for land records, building permissions, project monitoring, property taxation and municipal s

Saksham Skill census identifies 22,000 job-ready candidates in one Mumbai ward

A first-of-its-kind AI-enabled skill census conducted in Mumbai`s H-West Ward has identified a potential livelihood pipeline of nearly 22,000 candidates, generated over 32,000 provisional job matches while revealing that 71.2 per cent of surveyed homemakers are willing to join the workforce, according to

GI tags: Scaling traditional wealth into global brands

Geographical Indication (GI) tags have emerged as a powerful tool for protecting India`s cultural heritage, while creating economic opportunities for local communities. By linking products to their place of origin, GI tags preserve traditional knowledge, prevent misuse, and enhance consumer trust. They h

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter