!['Suisse Secrets' investigation targets Credit Suisse bank](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/e3/c7/b2/-Suisse-Secrets--investigation-targ-433415.jpg)
-
Venezuela takes diplomatic jab at Brazil in spat over election
-
Multiple people shot along highway in US state of Kentucky
-
In Papua New Guinea, Pope holds mass 'at the edge of the world'
-
Hewett stays positive for wheelchair tennis despite agonising defeat
-
Three things on US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka
-
Sabalenka downs Pegula to win US Open thriller
-
USA slump to first home defeat against Canada in 67 years
-
Argentina hand Australia record 67-27 loss in Rugby Championship
-
England impress on Carsley bow, Germany, Dutch hit five
-
AFP photographer wins top prize for Gaza coverage
-
No Love for Packers for three weeks after ligament sprain: reports
-
Pedro Almodovar: chronicler of modern Spain crowned in Venice
-
Trump sounds dark tone at rally, Harris 'ready' for debate
-
Wirtz and Musiala dazzle to kick-start new Germany era
-
Chinese teenager takes 7th gold of Paris Paralympics
-
England interim boss Carsley 'respects' divided opinions over anthem
-
Neuville moves to the front in the Acropolis Rally
-
Garfield, Pugh charm Toronto in new romance 'We Live in Time'
-
21 boys confirmed dead in Kenya school inferno
-
Over 100,000 protest in France against new prime minister
-
Golden 30 minutes takes China to swimming Paralympics swimming domination
-
Green leads Australia to T20 series sweep of Scotland
-
Nigeria, Cameroon win afer chaotic AFCON build-ups
-
Nicole Kidman: A-lister, cinematic chameleon, wins in Venice
-
'I had to prove myself', says Kolisi after win against All Blacks
-
Almodovar wins top prize at Venice film festival
-
Grealish savours England redemption after 'worst summer'
-
Carsley makes flying start as England interim boss in win over Ireland
-
Springboks close on Rugby Championship with storming win over All Blacks
-
Sri Lanka's De Silva and Kamindu Mendis defy England in third Test
-
Farrell's Racing lose on opening day of Top 14
-
Dunbar takes second Vuelta stage as Roglic closes in on victory
-
Fritz eyes US Open glory to end 21 years of American hurt
-
Thousands protest in France against new prime minister
-
Trump to hold rally in swing state, Harris preps for debate
-
Stone at the double as Sri Lanka collapse against England in third Test
-
French tennis player takes legal action over online abuse
-
Italy backs Kyiv's 'legitimate defence' as Zelensky presses allies
-
The Body Shop rescued from administration after deal
-
Smoke and screams: The horror of Kenya's school dorm inferno
-
MotoGP leader Martin roars to victory in San Marino sprint
-
Ireland and UK to 'reset' relations as Starmer begins Dublin visit
-
Ma Lin turns brutal encounter with bear into glorious Paralympic career
-
Flintoff appointed England Lions head coach
-
Sri Lanka hit back as Pope falls during England collapse in second Test
-
Kyiv hits Russian ammo depot as Moscow advances in east
-
Italy PM states 'determined' support as Zelensky presses allies
-
Bagnaia claims pole for San Marino MotoGP with lap record
-
Meet the Woodhalls: Track and field couple light up Paralympics and Olympics
-
Gaza war in its 12th month with truce hopes slim
!['Suisse Secrets' investigation targets Credit Suisse bank](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/e3/c7/b2/-Suisse-Secrets--investigation-targ-433415.jpg)
'Suisse Secrets' investigation targets Credit Suisse bank
Credit Suisse bank, still reeling from losing billions of dollars last year, faced a fresh challenge Sunday: allegations from an international investigation that it had handled dirty money for decades.
A cross-border media investigation broke Sunday claiming that Switzerland's second-largest bank had held billions of dollars of ill-gotten funds, claims based on a massive data leak.
Credit Suisse rejected the "allegations and insinuations" in a statement Sunday, saying that many of the issues raised were historical, some dating back as far as the 1940s.
The investigation, coordinated by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), unites 48 different media outlets worldwide, including France's Le Monde and The Guardian in Britain.
This latest project, dubbed "Suisse Secrets" by the OCCRP, arose out of a leak of data to Germany's Suddeutsche Zeitung newspapers a little over a year ago.
The leak included information on more than 18,000 bank accounts dating back to the 1940s and up to the 2010s, said the OCCRP.
It was the largest leak ever from a major Swiss bank, it added.
- 'Tendentious interpretations' -
The bank, in its statement Sunday, said: "Credit Suisse strongly rejects the allegations and insinuations about the bank's purported business practices.
"The matters presented are predominantly historical, in some cases dating back as far as the 1940s, and the accounts of these matters are based on partial, inaccurate, or selective information taken out of context, resulting in tendentious interpretations of the bank's business conduct."
About 90 percent of the accounts reviewed were closed -- or were in the process of being closed -- before the press approached bank, it added. And more than 60 percent of them had been closed before 2015.
The OCCRP, in a statement on its website, said: "We believe the dozens of examples we have cited raise serious questions about Credit Suisse's effectiveness and commitment to meeting its responsibilities."
It said the investigation had found dozens of "dubious characters" in the data.
They included a Yemeni spy chief implicated in torture, the sons of an Azerbaijani strongman, a Serbian drug lord and bureaucrats accused of looting Venezuela's oil wealth.
The sums in accounts identified as problematic amount to more than $8 billion (seven billion euros), the OCCRP said.
- A series of setbacks -
The international investigation is the latest in a series of setbacks that Credit Suisse has suffered recently.
In March 2021, the bank was hit by the collapse of Greensill Capital in which it had committed some $10 billion through four funds. The implosion of the US fund Archegos cost it more than $5 billion.
And in Switzerland, a former Credit Suisse employee is among the defendants in a major corruption trial that has just started involving alleged money laundering and organised crime in Bulgaria. The bank has said it will "defend itself vigorously in court".
News media involved in the investigation include The New York Times, Italy's La Stampa, Africa Uncensored in Kenya and Argentina's La Nacion.
L.Carrico--PC