Elmer, a former executive at Swiss banking giant Julius Baer, is due to hand over the details of the offshore customers to Wikileaks today (Monday), two days before he is due to be tried in Zurich on charges he threatened officials from Julius Baer and other associated companies.
According to Elmer, who quit the bank in 2004, the documents will reveal the details of politicians, artists and even those involved in organised crime, who are evading taxes.
He is due to make the revelations at London’s Frontline Club, a media club from which Wikileaks operates in London. There is also speculation that the controversial Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will be at the club to personally accept the information from Elmer, however Assange is currently on bail in the UK awaiting the outcome of Sweden’s attempt to extradite him on charges of sexual assault, so this is unlikely.
A statement on the Frontline Club’s website said: “Accompanied by his lawyer Jack Blum, he [Elmer] will reveal more details of alleged abuses in the world of offshore financial centres. As he did back in 2007 he will pass the said documents and information to Wikileaks.
“A representative from Wikileaks will be attending to accept this information.”
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported on Saturday that two UK-based investors accused of hiding money in Swiss bank accounts have been arrested in what could lead to be the first prosecutions in a four year old campaign by HM Revenue & Customs against offshore tax evasion.
No charges have yet been made against the two unnamed Britons who are alleged to have hidden an undisclosed amount of money in Zurich-based accounts of HSBC Private Bank.
It is thought the arrests have resulted from analysis of stolen data concerning the accounts of about 3,000 British residents that was passed to the Revenue last summer.
