Spain denies Swiss extradition request for HSBC whistleblower
Hervé Falciani (left) leaves court in Madrid last week
Keystone
Spain’s High Court has rejected an extradition request from Switzerland against Hervé Falciani for leaking details of thousands of clients of HSBC’s private bank in Geneva, the court said in a ruling.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Reuters/ts
Hailed as a hero by some for triggering investigations in several countries, Swiss courts sentenced Falciani in absentia to five years in jail for leaking details of HSBC clients. He said he suspected many of them were evading tax.
The Spanish court on Tuesday denied for the second time the extradition request against Falciani, a French citizen who worked for HSBC in Geneva, over alleged industrial sabotage in 2008 because the charges included in the Swiss ruling are not considered a crime in Spain.
“The Spanish Criminal Code does not include any charge similar to the crime of “aggravated financial espionage” for which the Swiss justice had sentenced Falciani to a five-year prison sentence,” the court said.
Appeal
The Spanish ruling can be appealed within three days, although Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice, which lodged the extradition request, declined to comment on it.
If Switzerland were to appeal, a special section of the High Court would rule on it, but the Spanish government would have the final say as extradition requests are usually submitted to the Justice Ministry.
Falciani was arrested in Madrid in April while on his way to speak at a conference on whistleblowing. Spain’s High Court released him the next day, but ordered him to remain in Spain while the extradition request was considered.
Falciani had been detained once before in Spain on Switzerland’s request – on a trip in 2012. He was released after the High Court ruled against his extradition.
On Tuesday, the Spanish court said Switzerland’s extradition request was identical to that of March 2013 and it deferred to the previous rejection in its ruling.
More
More
Choice of Golden Leopard raises eyebrows
This content was published on
The third festival under Olivier Père drew mixed reviews, with not everyone won over by the programme on the Piazza Grande. Critics were puzzled not least by the handing of the Golden Leopard to 68-year-old Brisseau. “Although it’s interesting that the film was shot with amateur actors on a shoestring, I’m astonished that Locarno –…
France, Austria, Belgium, Spain and Argentina launched investigations based on the information leaked by Falciani, but Swiss authorities insist the data was stolen and therefore legally inadmissible.
More
More
Bank data thief mocks Swiss justice system
This content was published on
Hervé Falciani, convicted in absentia by the Swiss Supreme Court in 2015, still sees himself as a whistleblower who has been wronged.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
This content was published on
Emergency crews contained the oil and began removing some of the pollution from the water’s surface, said the St Gallen cantonal police on Sunday.
Switzerland lifts sanctions on Syria after Assad’s fall
This content was published on
Switzerland is lifting economic sanctions on Syria, but targeted measures against figures linked to the former regime remain in place.
Thousands march in Bern calling for Gaza ceasefire
This content was published on
More than 10,000 people – or up to 20,000, according to organisers – marched through central Bern on Saturday afternoon in support for Gaza.
Zurich Pride draws large crowds amid financial strain
This content was published on
Following US President Donald Trump’s attacks on diversity initiatives, Zurich Pride fears more sponsors could pull out and is now facing financial difficulties.
Switzerland ‘deeply alarmed’ by Middle East escalation
This content was published on
Switzerland has voiced serious concern over rising tensions in the Middle East, and the UN chief says he is ‘alarmed’ by US strikes on Iran.
Switzerland among world’s most expensive for household electricity
This content was published on
According to a study by the comparison site Verivox, based on data from Global Petrol Prices, Switzerland came in tenth out of 143 countries.
Global uncertainty boosts Swiss-EU talks, says Cassis
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis says Switzerland’s talks with the European Union (EU) have been boosted by the current difficult global situation.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland requests extradition of whistleblower Falciani
This content was published on
Switzerland has filed an official request for Spain to extradite bank whistleblower Hervé Falciani, following his arrest in Madrid.
Bank data transfer blocked for stolen Falciani files
This content was published on
Acting on the information, France had asked Switzerland to provide further details on accounts at the Swiss HSBC branch, under the terms of a bilateral treaty. The unnamed couple challenged the handover, winning a Swiss court case in 2015. On Wednesday, the Federal Supreme Court confirmed this ruling, saying that administrative assistance from the Swiss…
Falciani labels the Swiss as financial mercenaries
This content was published on
“In order to survive the Swiss had developed mercenary activities on a grand scale. These are the famous Swiss Guards,” he stated in an interview with the French paper Sud Ouest that was published on Wednesday. “Today, the same principle is at work but at the service of multinationals through the means of offshore financing.” …
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.