Germany’s Fruit From Liechtenstein’s Poisonous Tree

Not all fruits are healthy; some fruits are poisonous.German prosecutors must wonder which oftheir collected ‘‘fruits’’ they can use against the hundredsof individuals that could be indicted for failing todeclare savings in Liechtenstein. What could turn outto be the biggest tax evasion case in German historystarted with a simple DVD. A Liechtensteiner offeredand sold a DVD with stolen bank data to the GermanIntelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst, orBND) for €4.2 million. The identity of the Liechtensteincitizen has not yet been officially released, butaccording to The Wall Street Journal, his name is HeinrichKieber, a former employee of LGT Bank, which isowned by the Principality of Liechtenstein. Meanwhile,the BND said that Kieber is not the source ofthe information. Ironically, Liechtenstein, having refusedto offer any tax cooperation or legal assistance ineven simple tax evasion cases in the past, asked Germanyfor legal assistance to find the person who stoleand sold the data to the BND.[...]