Post date: Jan 17, 2011 4:41:47 PM
A Swiss whistleblower publicly hands over what he calls off-shore banking secrets to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, at a news conference in London.
LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (JANUARY 17, 2011) REUTERS - A former Swiss private banker handed over data on hundreds of offshore bank account holders to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at a news conference in London on Monday (January 17).
Rudolf Elmer once headed the office of Julius Baer in the Cayman Islands until he was fired by the bank in 2002. He is scheduled to go on trial in Switzerland on Wednesday (January 19) for breaching bank secrecy.Elmer handed Assange the data at the news conference at the Frontline media club. The two compact discs contain information on 2,000 banking clients who have parked money offshore.
Elmer refused to give any names of those mentioned in the whistleblowing documents, but Assange said his website would publish the information once they have verified it.
"We will treat this information like all other information that we get. So yes, I presume once we've looked at the data, assuming it is not anomalous, assuming it is like everything else that we receive, yes there will be a full revelation," said Assange, who is on bail in Britain and fighting extradition to Sweden where he faces questioning over alleged sex crimes.
"He (Elmer) is clearly a bona fide whistleblower... We have some kind of duty to support him in that matter," Assange said.
Assange angered the U.S. authorities after WikiLeaks published hundreds of secret diplomatic cables it had obtained.
Elmer, who worked in the Cayman Islands for eight years, said: "I'm against the system. I know how the system works and I know that from day to day business. So from that point of view, I want to let society know what I know and how this system works, because it's damaging our society."
Vetting will be done by WikiLeaks, media organisations and other partners to protect sources amongst other concerns. The process will take at least two weeks, Assange said.
On Sunday (January 16), Elmer told Reuters that he hoped his appearance at the news conference would both call attention to offshore financial abuses and promote WikiLeaks as a mechanism for other whistleblowers to air their stories.
Julius Baer said Elmer, who the company fired in 2002, had other motives.
"After his demands (including financial compensation) in connection with the dismissal could not be satisfied, Mr Elmer embarked in 2004 on a personal intimidation campaign and vendetta against Julius Baer," the bank said in a statement.
"The aim of his activities was and is to discredit Julius Baer as well as clients in the eyes of the public."