Vietnam to check accounts of HSBC’s clients
Vietnam to check accounts of HSBC’s clients
The Vietnamese tax authority will investigate 26 tax accounts held with HSBC's controversial Swiss bank, which has been accused of helping affluent tax-dodgers across the world, said vice governor of the central bank Nguyen Thi Hong.
An official of the Anti-Money Laundering Department of the State Bank of Vietnam said that the agency had requested HSBC Vietnam to report on the incident to verify accounts relating to Vietnam.
There were 26 customers related to Vietnam with total assets of $37.5 million; 12% of the accounts are held by people with Vietnamese nationality (Vietnamese passport). The largest assets were more than $12 million.
Swiss banking is often known as a super-secret world.
Recent revelations about HSBC’s Swiss accounts have shaken global politics, showing that the once-reputable bank hid millions of dollars for drug traffickers, politicians, arms dealers and celebrities.
Swiss Leaks files are based on data secreted away by Hervé Falciani, a former HSBC employee-turned-whistleblower. He turned the data over to the French government in 2008 and its tax authority launched an investigation.
