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BERLIN - German authorities investigating tax evasion by Germans using banks in Liechtenstein are planning a new wave of raids after Easter, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported yesterday.
After having searched around 120 homes and offices last month, investigators were planning 30 raids in the next round, the daily said in an advance report of its Monday edition.
The high-profile investigation has already led to the resignation of the chief executive of mail group Deutsche Post, and threatens to ensnare other rich, high-profile Germans.
International pressure has intensified on Liechtenstein to lift the cloak of secrecy from its banks. Liechtenstein has defended its secrecy rules and says it is cooperating with other countries.
The affair began when, according to media reports, Germany's foreign intelligence service paid an informant around 4.2 million euros for information on the accounts of Germans who parked their money in the Alpine principality of Liechtenstein in order to evade tax.
- REUTERS
