Poles involved in HSBC tax scandal

More than 500 people affiliated with Poland, including more than 30 with Polish citizenship, were advised on tax evasion by the Swiss branch of the international banking giant HSBC, according to information contained in the leaked bank account files made public by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The documents cover a period up to 2007, when they were stolen by a computer expert working for HSBC in Geneva. They contain details on more than 100,000 customers. Poland ranked 47th among the countries with the largest dollar amounts in the leaked Swiss files. The money on “Polish accounts” totaled $865 million and the maximum amount of money associated with a client connected to Poland was $293 million. No names of Poland-affiliated clients were disclosed. The bank offered its customers secret accounts and gave advice on tax evasion. The bank’s most prominent clients who were given such advice include Uruguayan footballer Diego Forlan, formula one driver Fernando Alonso, actress Joan Collins and the king of Jordan, Abdullah II, among others.