More Credit Suisse bankers charged in US

United States federal prosecutors have charged four more US-based bankers linked to Credit Suisse with conspiracy in what they say was a long-running tax evasion scheme.

Prosecutors originally charged four people involved in the scheme in February; Thursday’s announcement brings the total number of people charged up to eight.

The US Justice Department wrote in February that as of late 2008 Credit Suisse was maintaining thousands of secret accounts for US customers with as much as $3 billion (SFr2.5 billion) in total assets under management in those accounts. The conspiracy allegedly goes back as far as 1953, according to prosecutors.

The four individuals charged on Thursday include Credit Suisse’s former head of North American Offshore Banking. At least three of the four are Swiss.

Credit Suisse itself is not charged in the case, but prosecutors wrote that bank officials “knew and should have known that they were aiding and abetting US customers in evading their US income taxes”.

“Credit Suisse is committed to a fully compliant cross-border business. Subject to our Swiss legal obligations and throughout this process we will continue to cooperate with the US authorities in an effort to resolve these matters,” the bank was quoted as saying.