France enforcement: HSBC pays €300 million for first DPA


The Geneva-based private banking unit of HSBC entered into France's first deferred prosecution agreement Tuesday under the country's new anti-corruption regime.




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The Geneva-based private banking unit of HSBC entered into France's first deferred prosecution agreement Tuesday under the country's new anti-corruption regime.
HSBC said in a statement Thursday that French magistrates ordered a formal criminal investigation ("mise en examen") into HSBC’s Swiss Private Bank for alleged tax-related offenses.
HSBC CEO Stuart Gulliver opened an account at the bank's Swiss affiliate in the name of a Panama-based company while he was based in Hong Kong.
Prosecutors in Switzerland searched the offices of HSBC's private bank in Geneva Wednesday as part of an investigation into money laundering.
The "Lagarde List” of tax evaders with money at the Swiss branch of HSBC is proving to be a treasure trove of information linking secret bank accounts to politicians in Europe, first in Greece and now in Spain.