Rudolf Elmer, Tax Whistleblower, Gives Data To WikiLeaks

LONDON, Jan 17: A former Swiss private banker handed over data on hundreds of offshore bank account holders to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at a news conference on Monday.

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 for breaching bank secrecy.

Elmer handed Assange the data at a news conference at a media club in London. The two yellow and blue discs contain information on 2,000 banking clients who have parked money
offshore.

"He (Elmer) is clearly a bona fide whistleblower... We have some kind of duty to support him in that matter," said Assange, who is on bail in Britain and fighting extradition to Sweden where he faces questioning over alleged sex crimes.

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 know how the system works... It's damaging... (I want) to educate our society."

WikiLeaks will vet the data before publishing it. Vetting will be done by themselves, media organisations and other partners to protect sources amongst other concerns. The process will take at least two weeks, Assange said.

On Sunday, 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."

On Sunday, Elmer told Reuters he hoped Monday's news conference would call attention to offshore financial abuses and that WikiLeaks was his last hope to get his message out.

(Additional reporting by Chris Vellacott in London, Emma Thomasson in Zurich; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[stonewall42]

01:53 PM on 01/25/2011

Update .Jan 25 th - 2011.

Nov23rd----Nov26th.2010.

The following sent to ----312 Lords.------- House of Lords.
----649.M.P’s--------House of Commons.

BANK - PARTNERS IN CRIMES.

Pictet & Cie Bank.

Ivan Pictet.
Nicolas Pictet.
Charles Pictet.
Jacques de Saussure.
Jean – Francois Demole.
Renaud de Planta.
Philippe Bertherat..

Pictet & Cie.- claim they are the “Rolls Royce”of Swiss banks.

Swiss Banks or more correctly Swizz banks.

Swizz. ---- “ a great disappointment.” or a “ fraud.”

Fraud. ---“ an intentional deception or dishonesty.”— “a crime.”

Crime. ---“ an act committed or omitted in violation of a law.”

Serious Crimes .
Conspiring to pervert the Course of Justice.
Perverting the Course of Justice.
Contempt of Court.

Pictet & Cie.

Pictet & Cie Bank –Partners –(1996—2010 )- guilty.
Peters &Peters – Partners.— (1999---2010 )- guilty.

The bank and it’s officials/lawyers deliberately withheld crucial documents requested under a High Court order. The bank and it’s officials/lawyers deliberately withheld evidence from the Police, and one of it’s account managers Susan Broadhead gave a false witness statement .
Another one of it’s managers Nicholas Campiche ( Now Head of Pictet – Alternative Investments.) concocted a letter pretending to be a client and closed his account. The senior partner (Ivan Pictet.) sought to have numerous documents destroyed,along with those copies held in their London office’s of Pictet Asset Management.

[kevinferns]

01:40 AM on 01/21/2011

Question: Aren't the Swiss Banks abetting Money Laundering with their "Secrecy" laws?
No Questions asked I presume about the source of funds, even from Government
Dictators? perhaps even the Mafiosi have Swiss Accounts.
Where are the UN & US anti-money laundering voices now?.

[Action Sam]

03:52 PM on 01/20/2011

This guy Rudolph Elmer sounds a lot more like a disgruntled employee than a whistle blower. Leaks given to wikileaks are supposed to be anonymous and are supposed to be about governments or big businesses that affect a lot of people. This guy is giving away info that really doesn't matter to most people, it might upset them, but beyond that it doesn't affect them and he is doing it publicly with photos with Assange and everything. This is not normal for a Wikileaks leaker.
Assange has repeatedly said wikileaks was there to help provide for more transparent government and that a transparent government is a just government. Unless there is some info about government officials evading taxes, I don't think this information should be made public no matter how much vetting is done. I think the info should be handed over to the IRS or whomever so that the tax evading people can be forced to pay what they owe plus whatever fines and late fees.
Wikileaks is forgetting their role here and getting away from what they are supposed to be doing which is dealing with government secrets, not the secrets of private citizens. I think if wikileaks starts leaking compromising info on private citizens to the entire world it will be a huge mistake and very hypocritical considering his reaction to the guardian 'leaking' documents about his own situation. There is an important line here and I feel like wikileaks is about to cross it.

[Theatrixnyc]

12:50 PM on 01/23/2011

One thing leads to another, and all of that....I'm guessing some of these "private" citizens, have a heavy hand in politics. If that's the case, we're all better off knowing.

[JavaJuice]

06:35 AM on 01/19/2011

More leaking and less yapping. I'm tired of this being all about Assange and what he threats to do.

[TheZeitgeistMovement]

04:32 AM on 01/20/2011

The only threats come from the powerful and they are directed towards Assange.

[durashka]

12:05 AM on 01/19/2011

This is so sad -- check a list of banks that were bailed out: Bank Julius Baer's not on it. We're attacking one of the last outposts of hope free people have.

I understand people are upset about banks' crimes, but this is the wrong bank. Attacking this bank strengthens the monopoly of the others. All this reactionary irrationality makes me despair for the future. I support Assange but this could be a catastrophic mistake, he is being used, here.

Effectively, the only battle that matters, today, is us (you, Assange and me) versus them (big governments, internationally, central banks and their member banks i.e. their owners and executives and the military industry complex). Attacks such as those discussed on this page are attacks against us. They are friendly fire and, potentially, very damaging mistakes.

Let's educate ourselves some more on how the system actually works before we start firing live ammunition into the crowd, OK?

http://www.themoneymasters.com/faqs/

[seanseamour]

03:00 AM on 01/19/2011

Sorry but I think you are barking up the wrong tree, the banks are institutions that provide services for those in quest of tax evasion - these individuals and corporations are the pandemic that shoves the burden of collective goods and services upon the many so the few can always become richer. The list of 2000 potential tax evaders needs to be made public to discourage the practice and ensure all, including the 2% that own so much pay their fair share. Without demand the banks will look to other avenues of business, perhaps less reprehensible.

[durashka]

05:47 AM on 01/19/2011

You are applying collectivist thinking. You should watch the film The Money Masters. It appears you are saying all banking is wrong. This is not the case. Some banks are wrong, those that were bailed out, specifically.

I am trying to help you better identify and target your enemy.

[Darlie Brewster]

08:52 AM on 01/19/2011

Oh you understand people are upset do you ? Exposing the system is never a mistake and this is aboutthe banking industry, not one bank. Nice try.

[durashka]

06:10 PM on 01/19/2011

Thanks, too, for your reply.

It is not "the system" that is being exposed. No-one paid more in the recent collapse than the ethical rich. Noone. Obviously... and no-one made more than the unethical rich. By targeting a bank outside the corrupt system you are aiming squarely for those that have already paid the most in support of those that made the most. These are the facts.

[NickTAZ]

09:16 PM on 01/18/2011

These banks need automated tax-evasion branches so they don't have to worry about firing anybody.

[disgustedcitizen]

09:14 PM on 01/18/2011

Bring it on! I really hope the IRS will pay attention.

[mountainweb]

12:15 AM on 01/19/2011

Without the names on the accounts, really nothing anyone can do. And since this is 9 year old information, may be hard to verify that they have not paid taxes since the online information does not go back that far...

[fairwayhill]

08:57 PM on 01/18/2011

Julian Assange is a hero.

[Florence Baumgartner]

08:21 PM on 01/18/2011

In case this was not posted, video of interview of Assange, :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqvf0hXFQUg

[Florence Baumgartner]

08:16 PM on 01/18/2011

Well well well...

Greg Mitchell on his wikileaks daily blog reports that US officials privately say that Wikileaks drops of cable cause only limited damage, !!

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70H6TO20110118

[NHGranite]

08:04 PM on 01/18/2011

US Constitution applies to US citizens, thus treason is not enforceable against Australians.

[HenryDavid]

07:57 PM on 01/18/2011

This could be the start of something really good--off-shore bankers with a conscience. It's certainly a revolutionary concept.

[NickTAZ]

09:15 PM on 01/18/2011

Revolutionary... sort of. There have been bankers "coming clean" for ages now. Somehow, it never seems to stick....

If you want more examples, Google "banking conspiracy theories" and you'll get countless quotes from famed financiers who lambast the industry.

[Duppy]

06:10 PM on 01/18/2011

I say release BOA information AFTER all lawsuits against BOA has been settled and paid. After that, America will no longer need BOA

[JavaJuice]

06:42 AM on 01/19/2011

I would add after BOA and the other large banks are dismantled. We don't want BOA taking out our entire economy after they were just bailed out.

[darkladyofala]

05:26 PM on 01/18/2011

Bravo Wikileaks, Assange and all Whistle Blowers! How else will we know the truth?

[BraineyRubble]

03:00 PM on 01/18/2011

Wait until WikiLeaks publishes the names of the 82 of the top 100 American Corporations that pay NO TAXES, let alone all the other individuals. Big names.

Republicans. Take all your money to a Cayman bank. Next time you get your taxes, tell the IRS that your money is in secret offshore bank accounts, and see how long it takes for you to go to a Federal Penitentiary. Still think the Corporations deserve to do what you couldn't possibly do?

[valeskas]

03:31 PM on 01/18/2011

Hopefully some day it will happen.