The Swiss Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the government-brokered takeover of Credit Suisse Group AG by UBS Group AG and is gathering evidence to identify possible crimes.
(Bloomberg) — The Swiss Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the government-brokered takeover of Credit Suisse Group AG by UBS Group AG and is gathering evidence to identify possible crimes.
“In view of the relevance of the events,” the top federal prosecutor “intends to proactively fulfill its mandate and responsibility to contribute to a clean Swiss financial center and has set up a monitoring system in order to take immediate action in the event of any circumstances that fall within its jurisdiction,” the office said in a statement sent to Bloomberg News on Sunday.
The attorney general ordered national and regional authorities “to investigate and compile information” in order to “analyze and identify possible offenses,” according to the statement.
The prosecutor didn’t specify whether it’s looking for breaches of law by government officials, bank executives or journalists who reported on the closed-door negotiations. Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag had previously speculated the investigation might focus on who passed on information about the takeover before it was completed.
The financial regulator Finma last weekend said it was “exploring options” on how to hold bank managers accountable who are suspected of negligently handling risks leading up to the near-collapse of Credit Suisse.
Switzerland’s criminal law is also known for having few protections for whistleblowers. Authorities have recently started an investigation into suspicions of corporate espionage and violations of banking secrecy laws after journalists had reported on a leak detailing the holdings of 18,000 wealthy bank account holders in the country.
(Adds reference to NZZ report in third paragraph)
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