Offshore bank account probe nets Canadians

[CHIMO]

More than 1,700 private offshore bank accounts belonging to Canadians turned up on a list of secret accounts in Switzerland, a joint CBC News/Globe and Mail investigation into possible tax evasion has found.

The Canadians on the list are part of a larger group that includes about 80,000 accounts belonging to HSBC Private Bank clients held in Geneva, according to whistleblower Herve Falciani.

Falciani, who obtained the list of accounts when he worked as head of computer security at HSBC, told the CBC's Investigative Unit's Diana Swain in an exclusive interview that the offshore accounts are large, with a hefty minimum deposit.

Just to open an account, "you need at least $500,000," Falciani said.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/09/29/tax-account-hsbc.html
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | 9:04 PM ET