BSI, the bank from the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland disappeared in 2016 – but not without leaving a trace. For instance, when the police in Brazil arrested one of its former bankers on money-laundering charges.
The banker with dual Swiss and Spanish citizenship didn’t get far when he flew in to Sao Paulo in November: the police was waiting for the banker upon arrival at the Guarulhos Airport and arrested him, according to a report by «Reuters».
The man was working for Banca della Svizzera Italiana, or short BSI, which went under in May 2016, when the Swiss financial market regulator Finma pulled the plug following an investigation into its involvement in a corruption scandal that engulfed Malaysia’s state fund 1MDB.
Petrobras Car Wash Scandal
The police in Brazil is also investigating a case of corruption. They allege that the Swiss-Spanish banker was part of the «Car Wash» scandal, a case of bribery involving the state-owned Petrobras oil firm and top-ranking politicians in the South American country.
The ex-BSI man is alleged to have washed briberies worth $21.7 million through offshore accounts, according to reports.
Swiss Angle
The Swiss federal attorney general has also been active in the case, freezing assets worth about $800 million on Swiss accounts.
In total, 60 investigations were launched since April 2014, with money-laundering and bribery charges as a consequence. Investigators have sifted through thousands of bank documents at more than 40 institutes.
