Swiss spy on trial for hunting German tax officials
October 18, 2017
Switzerland allegedly sent one of its spies to Germany to find out who kept leaking secret banking data to tax authorities. He spent four years digging into tax investigators and planting a mole before he was caught.
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A Swiss man accused of spying on German tax authorities on behalf of Bern faced court in Frankfurt, the German financial capital, on Wednesday.
The 54-year-old has been charged with espionage for allegedly working to unmask the source of a trove of secret financial data, on a CD, purchased by a German state government in 2010. The administration in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) had used the information to crack down on German citizens concealing money in Swiss bank accounts to avoid paying taxes.
The Swiss government admitted in 2011 that its Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) was involved with an investigation into stolen data, but declined to comment further on the case.
NRW has spent €17.9 million ($21.1 million) since 2010 to buy financial data, saying that it recovered nearly 7 billion in tax revenues as a result.
The Swiss man, identified only as Daniel M., was alleged to have spied on NRW tax authorities and some of their tax investigators from 2011 to 2015. According to Germany's federal prosecutor's office, he also gathered personal information on state tax investigators so they could be prosecuted in Switzerland for purchasing the tax data CDs.
After his alleged investigations, Switzerland issued arrest warrants for three NRW tax investigators for illegally obtaining banking data, which is protected under the country's strict secrecy laws. But they are actually unlikely to face arrest unless they travel to Switzerland.
From James Bond to Ethan Hunt, many cinematic secret agents spent time in Germany. Steven Spielberg's film "Bridge of Spies" is set in Berlin and was filmed there, too - but others just reproduced the city.
Image: 2014 Twentieth Century Fox
Tom Hanks among spies in Berlin
Many parts of Steven Spielberg's movie were shot in and around Berlin. It re-enacts the first of a series of spy swaps that took place on Glienicke Bridge, which became known as the "Bridge of Spies," hence the title of the film. Spielberg isn't the first filmmaker to portray secret agents in Germany. Here are more examples.
Image: 2014 Twentieth Century Fox
'5 Fingers'
The film "5 Fingers" (1952), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, is about a famous secret agent during World War II who worked for the Nazis - widely known by his code name, Cicero. Although other spy movies were filmed on location, this one was mainly shot in the studio.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/akg-Images
'Spy for Germany'
This West German thriller, originally titled "Spion für Deutschland" (1956), also depicts the actions of a German secret agent during World War II. Starring Martin Held and Nadja Tiller, it was filmed both in Berlin and the US.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'The Dirty Game'
Werner Klinger, who directed "Spy for Germany," was also among the four filmmakers who helmed this 1965 anthology spy film. It is made up of stories directed by a German, a French, an Italian, and a British filmmaker. Shot in Berlin, it starred Henry Fonda and Robert Ryan.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/United Archives/IFTN
'Torn Curtain'
Alfred Hitchcock filmed his spy thriller "Torn Curtain" in the studio in 1966. However, some scenes were shot on location in Berlin. Camera crews filmed in the German capital and sent their footage to Hollywood so Hitchcock could use the material in his movie. The cast included German actors Wolfgang Kieling and Hansjörg Felmy, along with US stars Julie Andrews and Paul Newman.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/United Archives/IFTN
James Bond in Berlin: 'Octopussy'
A large part of the 13th movie of the most popular secret agent in film history, James Bond, was shot in Berlin in 1983. Agent 007, depicted by Roger Moore, is seen at Checkpoint Charlie, in front of the Berlin Wall, and does a chase scene on the AVUS highway. Bond's love scenes were filmed in the studio, though.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ KPA
'The Innocent'
In 1993, John Schlesinger filmed on location in Berlin. "The Innocent" is based on the Cold War "Operation Gold," where CIA and MI6 agents built a tunnel under the Russian sector of Berlin. Anthony Hopkins, Isabella Rossellini and Campbell Scott star in the film.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/United Archives/IFTN
'Mission: Impossible III'
For the third film in the "Mission: Impossible" series, director J.J Abrams and star Tom Cruise initially planned to film in the German Reichstag. But the German government didn't allow them to shoot in the building - a council decided it should not be used in commercial films. The crew had to build sets in Babelsberg Studio, just outside Berlin.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'The Good German'
"The Good German" (2006) by Steven Soderbergh also demonstrates how studio sets can replace actual locations. The story is set in post-war Berlin, but was filmed in Los Angeles. However, Soderbergh built in archive material of the actual war-torn city in his gloomy film shot in black-and-white.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'Spy Game'
This 2001 spy thriller starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt is set in Berlin, but it wasn't shot in Germany either. Locations in Budapest were used to reproduce the German capital. This can actually be noticed in some scenes: Some elements in the background do not exist in Berlin.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'
Currently in theaters, the secret agent comedy "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." contains many scenes set in Berlin in the 1960s. Henry Cavill depicts an American secret agent competing with a Russian spy. The film beautifully recreates the atmosphere of divided Berlin - yet everything was done by computer.
Image: 2015 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND RATPAC-DUNE ENTERTAINMENT LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED/Daniel Smith
'Homeland'
The fifth season of the popular TV series "Homeland" was shot in Berlin, too. Agent Carrie Mathison is no longer working for the CIA and is hired by a German private security firm. Filming was also done in Babelsberg Studios and in Brandenburg.
Image: picture alliance/landov/K. Smith
On location: Glienicke Bridge
Steven Spielberg filmed his spy movie on location in Berlin. After all, the legendary and mysterious Glienicke Bridge also inspired the title of his film, "Bridge of Spies." Sometimes the actual location simply beats all studio sets and digital reproductions.
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He allegedly contracted a German security firm to help his investigation and even placed a mole within NRW's tax authority. Prosecutors allege he was paid €3,000 a month for his efforts, while also receiving €13,000 for the personal details of tax officials, and was promised €90,000 for placing a mole in the tax office.
Daniel M., a former policeman and a high-ranking security officer at Swiss banking giant UBS, was arrested in Frankfurt in April 2017.
Prosecutor offers deal for information
At the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht - OLG) in Frankfurt on Wednesday, Federal prosecutor Lienhard Weiss said he would agree to a suspended sentence of between 18 months and two years, plus a fine of €50,000 euros, in exchange for information.
"If there is a confession and the defendant makes plausible statements on the identity of the informant, then a plea ... would be imaginable," he said.
Daniel M. could face up to five years in jail if convicted of espionage on behalf of a foreign state.
The presiding judge said a suspended sentence could be in order, if Daniel M. gave a "credible" confession.
"We need concrete information on the ... payments, to whom they were made and for what," Judge Josef Bill said on Wednesday.
Daniel M.'s lawyer said he would make a statement when the trial continues on October 26.
The espionage case has placed considerable strain on ties between Bern and Berlin, with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel rebuking the wealthy neighbor and summoning its envoy in light of the revelations. In 2015 Switzerland signed a deal with the European Union to exchange banking data starting in 2018 as part of an international pledge to clamp down on tax cheats, making the case especially embarrassing.