Swiss Whistleblower Plans to Hand Over Offshore Banking Secrets of Rich and Famous to WikiLeaks

[Hissyspit]

Source: Guardian UK

Swiss whistleblower Rudolf Elmer plans to hand over offshore banking secrets of the rich and famous to WikiLeaks

He will disclose the details of 'massive potential tax evasion' before he flies home to stand trial over his actions

Rudolf Elmer in Mauritius: “Well-known pillars of society will hold investment portfolios and may include houses, trading companies, artwork, yachts, jewellery, horses, and so on.”

The Observer, Sun 16 Jan 2011 00.06 GMT

The offshore bank account details of 2,000 "high net worth individuals" and corporations – detailing massive potential tax evasion – will be handed over to the WikiLeaks organisation in London tomorrow by the most important and boldest whistleblower in Swiss banking history, Rudolf Elmer, two days before he goes on trial in his native Switzerland.

British and American individuals and companies are among the offshore clients whose details will be contained on CDs presented to WikiLeaks at the Frontline Club in London. Those involved include, Elmer tells the Observer, "approximately 40 politicians".

Elmer, who after his press conference will return to Switzerland from exile in Mauritius to face trial, is a former chief operating officer in the Cayman Islands and employee of the powerful Julius Baer bank, which accuses him of stealing the information.

He is also – at a time when the activities of banks are a matter of public concern – one of a small band of employees and executives seeking to blow the whistle on what they see as unprofessional, immoral and even potentially criminal activity by powerful international financial institutions.

Read more: http://m.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/16/swiss-whistleblower-rudolf-elmer-banks?cat=media&type=article

[Autumn]

1. How delightful!!

"approximately 40 politicians". I can't wait for this one.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

90. WILL WE HAVE HANGINGS????

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[spin]

91. Maybe we could bring back the guillotine...

:sarcasm:

[Vidar]

148. Sorry you added the sarcasm tag. I would certainly favor the guillotine for the

robber baron class.

[Autumn]

97. Even better than hangings,

hopefully we will have some TRANSPARENCY.
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[ocd liberal]

107. LOL!

Thanks for that!

[PufPuf23]

132. Bank Julius Baer vs. Wikileaks lawsuit - from wikipedia

This is an interesting read:


The Bank Julius Baer vs. Wikileaks lawsuit was filed by Bank Julius Baer against the website WikiLeaks.

In early February 2008, attorneys for the bank won an injunction that forced Dynadot, the domain registrar of wikileaks.org, to disassociate the site's domain name records with its servers, preventing use of the domain name to reach the site.

The bank's actions roused media and cyber-liberties groups to defend WikiLeaks' rights under the First Amendment and brought renewed scrutiny to the documents the bank hoped to shield.

The judge lifted the injunction and the bank dropped the case on 5 March 2008.<1>

more at:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Julius_Baer_vs._Wikileaks_lawsuit

[blaze]

2. Let it fly!!!! nt

[kestrel91316]

3. Good! I can't wait. Betcha several US repukes are on the list.

[HankyDubs]

25. there will be many dems too

and prominent ones at that. Its long overdue to weed these corporatist creeps out of the party.

[pnwmom]

30. They're not releasing the names, according to the article.

"The names on the CDs will not be made public, just as a much shorter list of 15 clients that Elmer handed to WikiLeaks in 2008 has remained hitherto undisclosed by the organisation headed by Julian Assange, currently on bail over alleged sex offences in Sweden, and under investigation in the US for the dissemination of thousands of state department documents."

[sam sarrha]

74. holding the names is his only life insurance....

[pnwmom]

120. Assuming the files came with names and not just account numbers.

Or that he's not withholding them for his "insurance" purposes.

[Enthusiast]

39. Plus one! nt

[molly77]

72. Vanity Fair has an article on WikiLeaks this month

Hit piece. Tunisia has overthrown an autocratic govt. over information from WikiLeaks. It is amazing that so called news organizations in the US are still trying to put out disinformation. I won't be renewing my subscription to Vanity Fair.

[gateley]

84. That's disappointing - I always liked (past tense now) Vanity Fair. How do you

know it's a hit piece?

[FourScore]

100. They lost my respect after allowing Dominic Dunne to try Michael Skakel

in their magazine. Dunne is basically the reason that a (probably) innocent man is sitting in prison.

[gateley]

115. I didn't know that. That's really bad. nt

[molly77]

124. Concentrated on the negative ...eliminated the positive.

I liked Vanity Fair too. Sometimes the truth hurts.

[pnwmom]

29. They're not releasing the names.

"The names on the CDs will not be made public, just as a much shorter list of 15 clients that Elmer handed to WikiLeaks in 2008 has remained hitherto undisclosed by the organisation headed by Julian Assange, currently on bail over alleged sex offences in Sweden, and under investigation in the US for the dissemination of thousands of state department documents."

[DeSwiss]

4. K&R

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. I hope he isn't found in the morning in an "apparent suicide" after a "change of heart"

[truth2power]

9. I wish these people would stop with the impulse to run their mouths

about something before the deed is done. Sheesh!

I hope the info is in a safe place.

[disndat]

94. They won't dare touch a hair on his head.

He promised a surrogate will reveal all if he is harmed in any way.

[harvey007]

6. Do tell

and hurry

[GiveMeFreedom]

7. Fuck ...

another tease. Fer kris'sakes, release the information on these greedy bastards. What the fuck are they waiting for? a payoff not to release the information?

[KoKo]

8. Kick....hope this all works out. Wondered what happened to those 2,000 tax dodgers...

thought the whole thing had been shut down. I hope he will be okay for doing this service to expose these dodgers.

[pnwmom]

27. The article says the names won't be released, so

it doesn't sound like anyone's going to be exposed.

[crazyjoe]

67. what's the point then? like we don't already know this is going on?

[disndat]

95. A lot of the info has been given to the NYTimes

and maybe other media. Of course the NYT is not going to release the possibly explosive info, so it must be 'safe' in the hands of places like the Times.

[molly77]

125. There is no comparison with the Guardian coverage and the NYTimes

NY Times spins..Guardian seems to stick more to the facts.

[siligut]

112. It will tell us to what extent it is going on, and the magnitude

And just because "we" know, doesn't mean the general population is paying attention.

[frylock]

10. kickeroo!

[freshwest]

11. Honestly, the sound of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus just started up in my head.

Don't mean that as sarcasm, either.

:crazy:

This is excellent news!

:woohoo:

[Shining Jack]

12. Excellent.

:evilgrin:

[targetpractice]

13. This when the shit hits the fan...

I'll bet the entire Internet gets shut down before the powers-that-be let this happen.

[abelenkpe]

14. Can't wait to check it out.

Ah, drama. :)

[1776Forever]

15. "former chief operating officer in the Cayman Islands and employee of the Julius Baer bank," Wow..

The tales he can tell must be huge! :wow:

Found this on lawsuit filed in 2008:

http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/julius-baer-bank-and-trust-v-wikileaks#description

Julius Baer Bank and Trust v. Wikileaks

Threat Type: Lawsuit Date: 02/06/2008 - 3/5/08 - Plaintiff banks filed a notice of dismissal, without prejudice, as to all parties

Status: Concluded Location: California
Disposition: Injunction Denied; Injunction Issued; Withdrawn Verdict/Settlement Amount: n/a
Legal Claims: Conversion; Tortious Interference; Unfair Competition

On February 6, 2008, Julius Baer Bank and Trust Company, a Cayman Islands banking entity, filed suit in federal court in California against Wikileaks, which is developing an "uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis." (more at link)

NOTE: The information and commentary contained in this database entry are based on court filings and other informational sources that may contain unproven allegations made by the parties. The truthfulness and accuracy of such information is likely to be in dispute.
Posted February 18th, 2008 by CMLP Staff

[Poll_Blind]

55. I guess not a lot of people know this (in comparison to WikiLeaks tangles with the U.S. govt) but...

...the leak involving Julius Baer Bank was their first "big" leak, as far as I can remember. Honestly, I'd never heard of the bank before but I remember reading news stories that the bank was pissed. Looks like I should have done more digging at the time!

PB

[MrMickeysMom]

16. Jesus... this leaked 2 days before he leaves?

All I can say it, "take care"... a lot can happen in 2 days.

[snagglepuss]

17. I have have feeling the documents have already changed hands.

If not this announcement seems utterly reckless.

[Paka]

42. Cover your ass...

Agree with you on that one.

[Kaleko]

56. Rudolf Elmer has been embroiled in a lawsuit with Julius Bear since December 2002.

So, this is not a new disclosure on the whistleblower's part. He's been working with US tax authorities for years, trying to get the wrecking ball rolling on the systemic corruption that is perpetrated not just by his former employer, the Swiss bank, but by multinational banking giants at large.

This article from Feb. 2009 explains the situation Elmer finds himself in:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/13/tax-gap-cayman-islands

The whistleblower's documents have been seen by the Guardian. They record the names and transactions of hundreds of companies, trusts, funds and wealthy individuals - information protected by local and Swiss secrecy laws.

Some of the paperwork concerns legal tax avoidance structures. Other files are alleged to point to potential illegal tax evasion by individuals around the globe.

The thousands of pages come from Rudolf Elmer, chief operating officer for the Julius Baer Swiss bank office in Grand Cayman until he was sacked in December 2002. Elmer, 53, and the bank have been involved in a long dispute. The bank accused him of forging documents and making violent threats. Elmer has accused the bank of hiring private investigators to harass him.

Elmer says his documents include all the back-up data held on Julius Baer's computer server in the Caymans at the time he was sacked, including accounts, correspondence, memos and resolutions dealing with 114 trusts, 80 companies, 60 funds and 1,330 individuals.

[snagglepuss]

57. I think 60 Minutes interviewed him. A remarkable individual. But if the Guardian

has already seen this, I wonder what he is handing over to WL.

[Kaleko]

60. I hope it is everything he's got.

WikiLeaks has a way of getting traction. At long last, we might see some impact with the sleepwalkers that populate this planet. :)

[BlueMTexpat]

18. Yesss!!!! nt

[efhmc]

19. Love it!!

[valerief]

20. K&R

[Lil Missy]

21. Don't get on an airplane!

[heliarc]

26. +1000 nt

[FailureToCommunicate]

22. Start measuring the blinds for all the blighted schools this $$$

could help rebuild... (money from unpaid taxes this might recover)!!

:popcorn:

[heliarc]

23. Quit planning and fucking do it.

I can't wait any more. We've needed to have a break like this for 20 years. The Multinationals have been dodging this sort of thing for almost 50 years. I want their books on the table so we know exactly how hard we're getting it.

[me b zola]

24. K&R

[pnwmom]

28. They're not going to release the 2,000 names.

So this could be much ado about nothing.

"The names on the CDs will not be made public, just as a much shorter list of 15 clients that Elmer handed to WikiLeaks in 2008 has remained hitherto undisclosed by the organisation headed by Julian Assange, currently on bail over alleged sex offences in Sweden, and under investigation in the US for the dissemination of thousands of state department documents."

[unsatdems]

33. wow

Sounds like 2,000 people that are too big to fail....

[MilesColtrane]

46. Sounds like they'll be retained for more "insurance" for Assange.

He wants to be as politically untouchable as J. Edgar Hoover was.

Smart power play.

[gateley]

86. Are the names given to the authorities? nt

[Kaleko]

114. Yes. According to The Guardian, Elmer has been "co-operating with the IRS

and with financial specialists in the office of Robert Morgenthau, the district attorney of New York; and with the powerful sub-committee on investigations chaired by Senator Carl Levin, which has a track record of probing offshore havens."

Please, everyone, read at least this one article on the history of Elmer's case against Julius Baer before jumping to conclusions:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/13/tax-gap-cayman-islands

[gateley]

116. Thanks -- and I'm printing the article out now. nt

[karynnj]

143. His lawyer is Jack Blum who worked for Kerry when he was investigating BCCI

- Blum and Kerry turned what they had on BCCI over to Morgenthau.

[tomm2thumbs]

31. Delicious...

even if WikiLeaks doesn't release the names, no doubt enough information or political party affiliation will no doubt be given to give a running start to those who want to figure it out.

Initials would be lovely - just lovely. :)

[Dover]

36. Leaks are the only possible response to criminal acts by SCOTUS that legalizes financial coverups

of campaign finance and banking laws that make less transparent how money is moved around and by whom.

[Amonester]

49. Initials like, proly, R.C.?

:puke: (rich-urd (D-ick) chainy)

Wish! :evilgrin:

[gateley]

87. That would be a dream come true. nt

[tomm2thumbs]

149. I could see Cheney's money hidden across the globe - absolutely

if only his daughter Liz was hidden somewhere

[Dover]

32. HOLY SMOKES!! That's amazingly brave! And doesn't Assange also have info on banks

that he said he'd release?

This ought to be VERY interesting indeed.

[Dover]

34. And according to Elmer's attorney, this data is from the Caymans & not protected under Swiss laws.

Now, Blum says, "Elmer is being tried for violating Swiss banking secrecy law even though the data is from the Cayman Islands. This is bold extraterritorial nonsense. Swiss secrecy law should apply to Swiss banks in Switzerland, not a Swiss subsidiary in the Cayman Islands."

[Mojeoux]

137. Bless the Whistleblowers!

And "Thank God for making me an Atheist!" Riki Gervase (tonight on Golden Globes)

[russspeakeasy]

35. I hope it happens...I hope the msm pays attention..

[Phlem]

37. ...

:popcorn:

-p

[Enthusiast]

38. We should know.

These accounts hold the secrets of those that have destroyed our nation in the name of greed. Bring it on! National security has nothing to do with it.

[Carnage251]

40. Awesome nt

[molly77]

126. I used to wonder why more honest people didn't speak up during the bush reign

Guess they were scared. If McCain had won, we would not have this transparency now.

[drm604]

41. Why won't they be releasing the names?

The article says that they won't be releasing the names. I wonder why. What's the point of handing over the data if the names won't be released?

[MilesColtrane]

47. Insurance

[Amonester]

51. They don't want to be thrown in jail...

Because those who should be thrown in jail (for evading taxes and perhaps many other crimes) are the crooks who rule (and purchase govs, courts, etc.)

[dotymed]

71. These corporations have been "lobbying"

to return this(?) money to America "tax free" (of course) for a while now. IMO, if any information is released that allows us to determine who the thieves are (hell all of the elites do it), then the lobbyists, viola, will be successful and we will be told what a great thing it is to allow the elites to return this money to America, tax free. "They" will say how it will improve our economy by "trickling down" to the Little guys and how these great (elite) Americans should not be punished, indeed they should be thanked for being "honest" enough to want to to bring their wealth back home, it will help regular Americans so much.....I hate to be so cynical, but I have spent 50 years watching the regular folks be screwed (and killed) so the wealthy can become wealthier while the majority are enslaved.

[Amonester]

99. Sadly, I think the same. They *would* lobby for *retro-active* legislation.

And they *will* get it. Scot free. Like all their *other* bs.

Today's (Real) government by the Rich For the Rich has been clearly bought and paid for.

[molly77]

127. Obama didn't allow the banks to get by with retroactive immunity.

He vetoed the bill that would have given the banks a blank check to continue with unlawful foreclosing.

[glinda]

43. Similar theme in the article was the cross-over of one Country's rules to another's.

Painfully apparent that only a few people/Campanies rule the World.

[Lugnut]

44. Oh yeah!

Let the sunshine in.

[Turborama]

45. Hang on a sec, aren't The Guardian persona non grata as far as Wikileaks are concerned?

Heads up to someone else who posted this here earlier this week (sorry, I forgot who it was): http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/01/12/propaganda

Also, this is meaningless without names, isn't it? And what about the other names Wikileaks have been holding back since 2008? What's that all about?

[Kaleko]

58. Elmer's disclosures are not meaningless without names. Far from it.

See post # 56 further up in this thread.

This Guardian article gives the background and explains Elmer's present behavior:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/13/tax-gap-cayman-islands

[Turborama]

62. Can you explain how useful his disclosures are to you and me if Wikileaks withholds the names

Please?

If he's giving all of this directly to the US authorities, that's a different thing. Hopefully they won't bury it.

Very interesting article, thanks for the link.

[Kaleko]

108. Disclosures like these, taken together with the material other whistleblowers have provided,

are potentially enough to bring down the global banking system as we know it. The material exposes systematic tax evasion amounting to billions of dollars each year, a slew of other, related criminal activities, collusion of government officials with private banking interests, i.e. racketeering and complete lawlessness.

The names of individual perpetrators are secondary. What is useful to you and me is seeing irrefutable proof of the overall pattern that allows financial giants to operate as de facto criminal enterprises outside the law of any given country. It means that the masks of secrecy are finally being torn off. It means that bizniz as usual is no longer possible when millions of people worldwide wake up, withdraw all of their money from these banks and refuse to do business with the "too big to fail" criminal institutions. You can see the dominoes falling right there.

How much more explosive can this get?

[Turborama]

150. Thanks for the perspective

I hope you're right and these revelations pull the curtain on these greedy bastards' financial raping and ecological pillaging of the poor and this planet, our home.

[Turborama]

151. Self delete.

Internet connection burp.

[TalkingDog]

48. I like this guy:

[gateley]

88. So do I! But I can't tell what he's doing in the vid -- is he helping that gentleman? Thanks. nt

[TalkingDog]

135. He's in the middle of an interview

and he notices an elderly gent who has stumbled.

He simply leaves the interview to go help.

[gateley]

89. I also like the rich guy who's housing him in England. That takes guts. nt

[webDude]

50. here's praying he does it and lives a long and happy life!

[thereismore]

52. Who in his right mind would talk about this beforehand? A fool who doesn't want to live? nt

[glinda]

53. That is my thought also.

[PatrynXX]

54. George Bailey would be pround

Old Man Potter. (oh sure it's a communist plot X_X like hell. and I still don't believe the BS that Casablanca was a propaganda film.

[Very_Boring_Name]

59. I'll eat crow if there's a single liberal democrat on the list

Probably 35 of the 40 names (assuming they're all american) will be republicans, the other 5 will be conservative democrats.

[99th_Monkey]

61. Why in the world would he be announcing this in advance?

`makes no sense to me for him to be putting himself in such an exposed and vulnerable position. Why not just do it, so he can
then use it as life insurance in the same way Assange has been successfully doing.

[No Elephants]

63. Someone needs to find a way to get donations to Assange.

[snagglepuss]

119. You can donate using XIPWIRE and they are waiving the fee.

Donations are done via cell phone or there's an option to donate online.

[Joanne98]

64. "approximately 40 politicians" ain't that special. I hope they're not ours!

[SkyDaddy7]

65. WHY IN HELL are they telling the time & place...

of the exchange? That sounds a little odd? Or crazy is a better word. We are just talking about the most powerful folks on the planet shy of a major Western Government.

Anyone else feel the same?

Never mind they are not releasing names...Not sure what that will accomplish but I guess it will still be good.

[dotymed]

66. By telling "them"

before the facts are even handed over, it will give "them" a chance to cover their asses and/or prevent this from ever happening, by whatever means necessary. I hope this isn't the case, but I am sure there are many wealthy thieves currently trying to minimize the potentially damning evidence.

[xchrom]

68. recommend

[Soylent Brice]

69. K&R

[Vinca]

70. I hope he has bodyguards.

[whogasa736]

73. This will prove

that the super wealthy are just as nutty as us poor folks.

[barbtries]

75. let the sun shine

what i deplore is that the person bringing the criminality to light will be prosecuted more vigorously and vilified more thoroughly than the criminals.

[Highway61]

76. Oh Please.

Don't SAY your going to do it, just DO it. This isn't a headline. It's a headline AFTER he actually hands this info over and the details of that info is released publicly. This Wikileaks stuff is turning into Rivera covering the live digging for the goods on Al Capone.
He said all this " before he flies home to stand trial over his actions". After you leaked that you will leak, please sir do not get on any small planes.

[RoccoR5955]

77. And these bass turds just got a HUGE tax break! n/t

[AllyCat]

78. If they are criminals, they need to be exposed. Let 'er rip!

[1American]

79. Tax evaders

You can bet that the Big Corporations who put Bush into office and bankroll the Tea Party will be on that list!

[femrap]

80. OMG!!!!!

This a fucking dream come true!!!! I'm so excited. The people over at halfpasthuman.com have been saying that "Secrets Revealed" was going to happen and that it would bring down TPTB.

Oh, this is just too delicious.

Best news I've had for a very long time.

What a lovely gift....thank you Rudolf Elmer. I love you.

[Better Believe It]

81. K & R

[peacetalksforall]

82. One person cares about tax evasions and yet millions don't care. How

many people to do you know outside of DU type discussion sites evern talk about taking money OUT of the US and INTO another country to make more money and avoid taxes. How many people do you know talk about registering their corporation (personal/industrial) outside the US to avoid our laws and courts because the company becomes multi-national and gets the exemption from many of the laws that a US registered company has to follow?

How often is there a discussion on DU about this?

If there are 40 politicians, we know part of short term reason. What is the long term problem with us that we don't even bother with it?

We don't even discuss who the truer patriots are in this country. Discussing is free.

I, for one, am negligent - I haven't looked to see if there is a Forum for the subject of bleeding us.

[sofa king]

83. ... If he's not turned into Swiss cheese first.

Good luck to that guy.

[WillyT]

85. HUGE K & R !!!

:woohoo:

:kick:

[Catherina]

92. Viva Assange! Viva Manning! Viva Wikileaks! Rec'd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8txhtB2e5M

[Jack Rabbit]

93. !!

:popcorn:

[L0oniX]

96. It's not enough to be rich ...they have to cheat too. Burn in hell mutha f*ckas!

[Democracyinkind]

98. If this guy is a whistleblower, why

would he constantly make up things and forge documents?

Why would he try to extort Jewish clients by telling them that he would send their account information to the NPD (The German NeoNazî Party)...

I don't know, but if Wikileaks has ever been totally wrong on something it's with this guy. I'm not saying that Julius Bär isn't probably involved in large scale tax evasion fraud in the Caymans, but Elmer is one crazy, document-forging lying S.O.B if I ever saw one. Considering the facts of the story as they now are I'll be glad when he gets jailed. Whistleblowing is one thing. Forging documents and making up things and almost ruining the livelihood of a couple of thousand of people is another.

[Kaleko]

118. These are accusations that smack of an attempt at character assassination.

You need to back up your allegations with links to articles that can be researched - some kind of proof that can be properly evaluated if you want to be taken seriously.

[Democracyinkind]

128. As I said - by now what I wrote are no longer allegations.

http://www.tagesschau.sf.tv/Nachrichten/Archiv/2011/01/12/Schweiz/Wikileaks-Star-kommt-vor-Zuercher-Gericht

[Kaleko]

133. There are nothing BUT allegations posted in the article you linked to.

No proof, merely accusations delivered in a sensationalistic, tabloid-y tone.

Only the following could possibly be construed as an admission of wrong-doing on Elmer's and Wikileak's part.

(English translation of the German text is mine)

Im Frühling 2008 begann der Ex-Banker damit, zahlreiche Dokumente auf dem damals noch kaum bekannten Internetportal Wikileaks zu publizieren. Viele Daten waren unvollständig, andere offensichtlich gefälscht.

In the spring of 2008, the ex-banker began to publish numerous documents on the then barely known internet portal Wikileaks. Much of the data was incomplete, others obviously forged.


Elmer schreckte nicht davor zurück, auf Wikileaks angebliche Steuersünder mit Adressangaben zu nennen. Wikileaks musste sich in der Folge in mindestens einem Fall beim Betroffenen entschuldigen und eingestehen, dass die falsche Person im Netz an den Pranger gestellt worden war. Diese Publikationen sind nicht Teil der Anklage.

Elmer had no compunction to name alleged tax evaders with their addresses on Wikilieaks. As a result, Wikileaks had to apologize to at least one victim and admit that the wrong person had been vilified. These publications are not part of the court case.

[Democracyinkind]

140. Watch the video: Watch what he says.

[Kaleko]

147. What video?

I've seen several so far. The video on the Tagesschau page you linked to doesn't work for me.

[PufPuf23]

130. Please explain your posts esp re: forging documents.

I made another post with the link to the wikipedia regarding legal activity between Baer Bank and Elmer and see nothing about the extortion or any proven forgery.

[Democracyinkind]

139. Uhm.. So who forged the letter saying that Angela Merkel has an account in Switzerland?

Are you suggesting Julius Baer did so?

How come Wikileaks had to apologize to the people whose names they falsely published?

[Kaleko]

153. If the letter accusing Merkel was forged, it could have been sent by anyone.

The facts are sketchy at best at this point, but with a bit of patient research, we may find the truth.

In the meantime, wy are you so keen on jumping ahead to the judgment phase in a court case that hasn't even begun? Why are you trying to discredit a major whistleblower before all the facts are in?

[LawnKorn]

101. In my heart of hearts I hope Cheney and Halliburton are among the documents

I would love to see once and for all that Cheney is still secretly being payed by Halliburton, and that he was getting money while in office.

We all know Cheney is guilty, maybe this could be the proof we need to send him to prison for his final days.

[LawnKorn]

102. K&R

[janet118]

103. Why is he announcing this? Just hand them over already. n/t

[Quixote1818]

104. I hope he has plenty of body guards. nt

[Quixote1818]

105. He could be opening up pandora's box here. Could get very interesting! nt

[The Wizard]

106. maybe we'll learn

where that 1.4 million a day the insurance lobby donated to Congress wound up.

[Raksha]

109. K & R

[williesgirl]

110. Can't wait - this could solve our deficit problem!!!! rec'd

[avaistheone1]

111. It's about time.

k&r

[newtothegame]

113. My god these whisteblowers love attention. Why announce that you're GOING to release something...

instead of just doing it? It's like they're trying to maximize their headlines...

[Democracyinkind]

141. Because this guy only pretends to be one. Check the full story...

[mstinamotorcity]

117. Well if this has any validity

Mr Elmer must stay in seclusion. I don't see him not having an accident. These people are very treacherous and conniving. One of the reasons for trying to discredit Wikileaks and their information.

[ooglymoogly]

121. Consider how much this information is worth and who has the money

to influence that information, to realize; nothing will come of this, beyond perhaps, security for a few folks who hold the keys; which I admit is no small thing. But learning who has been destroying and enslaving the US and buying its government and those around the world? Not a snowballs chance in the proverbial. But this 'snag' will cost them.

As for the masses of the disinterested walking dead, they are non players and enablers of their own demise; so fugedaboudit.

[aquart]

122. Talk is cheap.

I'd prefer he hadn't mentioned it till after he did it.

[Kaleko]

134. Rudolf Elmer has published information on WikiLeaks since spring 2008.

Apparently, this news is only now getting some attention in the least informed country in the western world.

Yep, that would be the USA, sorry to say. :)

[Swampguana]

123. I love whistleblowers

[tooeyeten]

129. Tea party will be outraged

only by the release of the information.

[freshwest]

138. But they're always in a rage. How could we tell the difference?

Would they start burning their tea bags?

:rofl:

[Doremus]

131. I'm still waiting for the info about BofA they promised to release.

Not going to hold my breath on learning more about this.

[Skittles]

136. Wikileaks will gain a lot of fans if this is for real

yes INDEED

[karynnj]

142. Elmer's lawyer is Jack Blum - the top Kerry staffer during the time Kerry led the BCCI investigation

From the Guardian Story:

My understanding is that my client's attempts to get the banks to act over various complaints he made came to nothing internally," says Elmer's lawyer, Jack Blum, one of America's leading experts in tracking offshore money. "Neither would the Swiss courts act on his complaints. That's why he went to WikiLeaks."

That first crop of documents was scrutinised by the Guardian newspaper in 2009, which found "details of numerous trusts in which wealthy people have placed capital. This allows them lawfully to avoid paying tax on profits, because legally it belongs to the trust … The trust itself pays no tax, as a Cayman resident", although "the trustees can distribute money to the trust's beneficiaries".

Now, Blum says, "Elmer is being tried for violating Swiss banking secrecy law even though the data is from the Cayman Islands. This is bold extraterritorial nonsense. Swiss secrecy law should apply to Swiss banks in Switzerland, not a Swiss subsidiary in the Cayman Islands."
{/div]

Back in 2008, Blum testified on the problem of Off shore tax dodges before the Finance committee: http://finance.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=dc916802-f9b8-0603-029f-eb2748e4c960 Mid way through, Blum and Kerry have an interesting conversation that spoke to how this really was an international issue.

[Hissyspit]

144. Reuters: Swiss whistleblower hands bank data to WikiLeaks

http://us.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70F0TF20110117?ca=rdt

By Mark Hosenball and Olesya Dmitracova

LONDON (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 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.

MORE

[dotymed]

145. Americans and probably the Chinese

are the most spied upon people in the world. To imagine that "our" government does not know who and how is very unlikely. "Our" politicians are owned by these people and/or are participants. IMO, their only interest would be in covering the crimes of their fellow elitists. By not releasing their names, it may be a way to profit (blackmail). I do not see any other reason not to release their names to the public. Assange could guarantee that the names and crimes are public knowledge, but then what would be personally gained. I don't want to be correct, I have seen too much profiteering at our expense and until I see some real actual accountability, regretfully, I remain a skeptic.

[quakerboy]

146. Less "plans to", more "has"

Thats when it becomes a story. Not that anyone will pay any attention. I will be surprised if anyone even gets a slap on the wrist.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

152. The main point of the press conference was...

I watched the entire London press conference of 1 hour and 11 minutes.

Mr. Elmer's main point was that the thievery of wealthy people dodging their taxes, and the bankers facilitating their insider trading, etc. was responsible for the world economic collapse.

He said that $13 trillion dollars (U.S.) were thus taken out of the world stream of commerce.

Something to think about.