GENEVA – A lawyer for detained Swiss banker Rudolf Elmer says her client claims he gave blank CDs to WikiLeaks rather than secret bank client data.
Ganden Tethong says Elmer informed Swiss authorities the disks were empty after his arrest Jan. 22 on suspicion of breaking the country’s strict banking secrecy laws.
Tethong said in a statement Wednesday that prosecutors have offered no evidence that her client’s claims are false but have extended his investigative detention until Oct. 1.
Days before his arrest, Elmer had claimed during a staged handover in London that the disks contained the account details of Swiss bank clients.
A Zurich court found Elmer guilty in January of coercion and breaking bank secrecy laws in an earlier case. He received a conditional fine.
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