Swiss Banque Pictet Admits Conspiring With Americans To Hide Funds

Swiss private bank Banque Pictet et Cie SA has admitted that it conspired with U.S. taxpayers and others to hide more than $5.6 billion in 1,637 secret bank accounts in Switzerland and elsewhere, and to conceal from the IRS the income generated in those accounts. The bank entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to pay approximately $122.9 million to the U.S. Treasury. It is almost 2024 now, but these cases go back to Justice Department investigations since 2008 into facilitation of offshore U.S. tax evasion by foreign banks.

“As it has admitted today, Banque Pictet knowingly conspired to conceal from the IRS the income generated by accounts which held more than $5.6 billion,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “Thanks to the hard work of the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners, Banque Pictet has agreed to pay more than $122.9 million and will continue to cooperate with the Department of Justice. Rooting out financial malfeasance remains a priority for this Office, and we encourage companies and financial institutions to come to us to report wrongdoing before we come to you.”