Swiss prosecutors have launched criminal proceedings aimed at those responsible for the 2022 leak at Credit Suisse which exposed the details of accounts held by wealthy clients allegedly involved in a host of illegal activity.
The leak, which happened last February, involved more than 18,000 Credit Suisse accounts, held over decades, and belonging to people allegedly involved in torture, drug trafficking, money laundering, and corruption.
The details were handed to German outlet Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which shared them with other media groups round the world, plunging the bank into a dirty money scandal.
While the identity of the person or people responsible for the leak is not known, federal prosecutors have now launched a case after receiving a formal complaint. According to local newspaper Tagesanzeiger, Credit Suisse was the complainant.
Alleged offences include banking secrecy law violations, and making confidential business information available to foreign organisations or their agents.
At the time of the leak, the whistleblower issued a statement saying: "I believe that Swiss banking secrecy laws are immoral.
"The pretext of protecting financial privacy is merely a fig leaf covering the shameful role of Swiss banks as collaborators of tax evaders."