Hsbc Geneva

Assuring action on black money, government today said HSBC whistleblower Herve Falciani should share information "without pre-conditions", a day after he expressed willingness to cooperate with probe agencies but stressed that he would need "protection".

India has gotten a little closer to getting information on more than 600 accounts involving Indian citizens and companies at HSBC's Geneva branch in 2008; the government wants to investigate if some of these were used to park untaxed or black money.

The government has said Indians against whom information has been received from foreign nations on overseas accounts or assets won't be eligible to use compliance window to make voluntary disclosures under the stringent new black money law.

Whistleblower Herve Falciani, whose leaked data is the origin of the massive HSBC scandal, says a unique opportunity has opened up for India's black money probe now that Switzerland has launched a criminal inquiry into allegedly money-laundering by Europe's largest bank.

HSBC reported a 17 per cent fall in annual pretax profit and cut its profitability target, saying allegations its Swiss business had helped customers to dodge taxes had brought shame on the bank.

HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver, who vowed to reform the scandal-hit bank, kept millions of dollars in a Swiss account, the Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday.

British banking giant HSBC's Geneva offices were searched today as part of a money-laundering probe following allegations that the bank helped clients evade millions of dollars in taxes.

Geneva's public prosecutor searched the premises of HSBC Holdings PLC in Geneva today and said it had opened a criminal inquiry into allegations of aggravated money laundering.

The Income Tax department is expected to file a complaint against HSBC bank, Geneva, for allegedly "abetting" tax evasion in India by way of unauthorisedly operating accounts of its citizens in its overseas branch.

British bank HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) admitted on Sunday failings by its Swiss subsidiary, in response to media reports it helped wealthy customers dodge taxes and conceal millions of dollars of assets.

A new list of Indians with accounts at HSBC in Geneva includes some who have not been investigated so far to determine if they violated tax laws, said sources on the panel of experts that's in charge of identifying and prosecuting citizens who stashed money aboard.

As India reacted to the disclosure that there are nearly 1,700 Indians on a list of those who held accounts in 2007 at HSBC's Geneva branch, the whistleblower who unloaded the trove of data told NDTV that he has formally joined the Indian government's investigation to recover untaxed or black money from foreign accounts.

New names who have been added to a list of Indians with accounts at HSBC in Geneva will be investigated as part of an expansive inquiry into black money, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today, though sources caution that some of the accounts could be legitimate.

Indian investigators have met in France with whistle-blower Herve Falciani, responsible for the world's biggest-ever breach of banking secrecy. In 2008, Mr Falciani was an employee of HSBC in Geneva when he leaked data related to more than 100,000 bank accounts, which included some held by Indians.

Herve Falciani, who famously leaked information related to thousands of illicit bank account holders at HSBC in Geneva was indicted by Swiss authorities on Thursday for industrial espionage, breach of trade and banking secrecy.

Assuring action on black money, government today said HSBC whistleblower Herve Falciani should share information "without pre-conditions", a day after he expressed willingness to cooperate with probe agencies but stressed that he would need "protection".

India has gotten a little closer to getting information on more than 600 accounts involving Indian citizens and companies at HSBC's Geneva branch in 2008; the government wants to investigate if some of these were used to park untaxed or black money.

The government has said Indians against whom information has been received from foreign nations on overseas accounts or assets won't be eligible to use compliance window to make voluntary disclosures under the stringent new black money law.

Whistleblower Herve Falciani, whose leaked data is the origin of the massive HSBC scandal, says a unique opportunity has opened up for India's black money probe now that Switzerland has launched a criminal inquiry into allegedly money-laundering by Europe's largest bank.

HSBC reported a 17 per cent fall in annual pretax profit and cut its profitability target, saying allegations its Swiss business had helped customers to dodge taxes had brought shame on the bank.

HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver, who vowed to reform the scandal-hit bank, kept millions of dollars in a Swiss account, the Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday.

British banking giant HSBC's Geneva offices were searched today as part of a money-laundering probe following allegations that the bank helped clients evade millions of dollars in taxes.

Geneva's public prosecutor searched the premises of HSBC Holdings PLC in Geneva today and said it had opened a criminal inquiry into allegations of aggravated money laundering.

The Income Tax department is expected to file a complaint against HSBC bank, Geneva, for allegedly "abetting" tax evasion in India by way of unauthorisedly operating accounts of its citizens in its overseas branch.

British bank HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) admitted on Sunday failings by its Swiss subsidiary, in response to media reports it helped wealthy customers dodge taxes and conceal millions of dollars of assets.

A new list of Indians with accounts at HSBC in Geneva includes some who have not been investigated so far to determine if they violated tax laws, said sources on the panel of experts that's in charge of identifying and prosecuting citizens who stashed money aboard.

As India reacted to the disclosure that there are nearly 1,700 Indians on a list of those who held accounts in 2007 at HSBC's Geneva branch, the whistleblower who unloaded the trove of data told NDTV that he has formally joined the Indian government's investigation to recover untaxed or black money from foreign accounts.

New names who have been added to a list of Indians with accounts at HSBC in Geneva will be investigated as part of an expansive inquiry into black money, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today, though sources caution that some of the accounts could be legitimate.

Indian investigators have met in France with whistle-blower Herve Falciani, responsible for the world's biggest-ever breach of banking secrecy. In 2008, Mr Falciani was an employee of HSBC in Geneva when he leaked data related to more than 100,000 bank accounts, which included some held by Indians.

Herve Falciani, who famously leaked information related to thousands of illicit bank account holders at HSBC in Geneva was indicted by Swiss authorities on Thursday for industrial espionage, breach of trade and banking secrecy.