UBS reports suspicious transactions

UBS reported suspicious transaction to authorities. Keystone Archive

The Swiss bank UBS has discovered four suspicious transactions, which it has referred to authorities in connection with the investigation of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

UBS, the country’s largest bank, said it uncovered the transactions while comparing its customer list with a list of some 200 names of suspects distributed by the United States Justice Department.

The accounts were small, and none was in a Swiss branch, UBS said. Only one transaction took place in Europe, the remainder were on the American continent.

Eliminating terrorist financing

“UBS will continue to operate its rigorous anti-money laundering program working with the authorities to achieve a common goal: cutting off the financing of terrorist groups worldwide,” a bank statement said.

The bank asked investigators to check the sources of payments involved in the four transactions.

Two employees of the UBS office in New York were killed in the terror attacks. A third remains in the hospital, “a woman who was very severely burned by kerosene” according to David Walker, a spokesman for UBS in the US.

UBS did not have a branch at the World Trade Center, but the three employees had a business meeting there on the morning of September 11.

Swiss Federal Prosecutor Valentin Roschacher said on Tuesday that investigators have no evidence the Swiss financial system helped finance suicide attacks in the US.

One suspicious account that was frozen in September during the investigation has since been released, he said.

“Concerning the role of Switzerland as a financial centre in the transfer of funds linked to concrete preparations for the attack, there is no substantial indication at this time that would make one conclude Switzerland played a role,” Roschacher said.

swissinfo with agencies