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Tipster in bank scandal attempts suicide: report

A bank employee who allegedly stole details of a currency transaction that would lead to a scandal enveloping Swiss central bank chief Philipp Hildebrand has attempted suicide, the SonntagsZeitung
newspaper reported on Sunday.

Published: 9 January 2012 08:45 CET

The 39-year-old former computer technician at Sarasin bank is accused of taking details of a currency deal made by Hildebrand’s wife and passing this information to the conservative Swiss People’s Party, whose chief Christoph Blocher is a Hildebrand critic.

Citing anonymous sources, the SonntagsZeitung reported the technician had been sent to hospital after the suicide attempt.

At the start of January, the man turned himself over to police. He is the subject of a criminal probe, while Hildebrand has not faced a criminal enquiry.

The scandal centres on reports that Hildebrand’s wife Kashya profited after buying $504,000 last August just weeks before an intervention by the Swiss National Bank to halt the rise of the franc.

The Hildebrands allegedly profited handsomely when the dollar’s value soared against the Swiss franc, said the press reports.

The SNB said Saturday it would hire an outside firm to audit all banking transactions carried out by managers between 2009 and 2011.

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BANK

Swiss National Bank hit by new spray paint attack

A woman activist spray painted a message on a billboard outside Switzerland’s central bank on Friday in an echo of a similar protest last year in which an 86-year-old woman was arrested.

Published: 27 April 2018 13:00 CEST
Swiss National Bank hit by new spray paint attack
File photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

The incident occurred as the Swiss National Bank (SNB) held its annual general meeting in Bern, the Blick newspaper reported.

An unidentified woman sprayed the message 'please remember why we founded you' on the billboard in red paint.

According to the paper, the protestor was campaigning in support of the campaign for monetary reform, which goes to a nationwide vote in June.

READ ALSO: Why the Swiss National Bank needs more gold

Known as the Vollgeld Initiative in German and the Initiative Monnaie Pleine in French, the initiative calls an end to traditional bank lending and for the SNB to be the only financial institution able to issue money. 

The SNB opposes the sovereign money initiative.

With the help of other activists, the spray painter removed the words a short time later.

Almost exactly one year ago an 86-year-old woman was arrested after spraying an anti-war message outside the SNB in a case that drew worldwide attention.

READ ALSO: Woman, 86, arrested for spraying anti-war graffiti on Swiss National Bank

The peace activist spray-painted ‘Money for weapons kills' on the billboard. 

She was campaigning on behalf of the Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GSsA) which had launched a popular initiative to ban Swiss financing of any company that produces arms. 

If it gathers the required 100,000 signatures by October 2018, the issue will go to a national referendum.