German prosecutors said Saturday they are checking how Deutsche Bank gained advance knowledge of police raids in April to uncover an alleged tax-evasion racket, DPA reported.
In Frankfurt, Germany's main investment bank declined comment on the tip-off claim. A spokesman said Deutsche Bank was cooperating fully with the authorities over the tax case. That case reportedly involves avoidance of value-added tax on emissions trading.
Frankfurt prosecutors have opened an inquiry against persons unknown suspected of betraying a government secret, senior prosecutor Guenter Wittig told the German Press Agency dpa.
A Munich newspaper, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, said Saturday German authorities had tapped telephone conversations among bank executives that indicated a warning passed between them before the raids.
It said police had been trying since May to detect who betrayed the investigation.
Wittig said only, "We have known for a long time that the bank got a tip-off." He declined further details.
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung said several bank employees spoke with one another on the evening of April 27 about what was supposed to be a coordinated surprise visit from the police and investigators the next day at 230 offices.
Which government agency could have leaked the warning was not yet known.
More than 1,000 tax agents and federal police officers participated in the nationwide raids.
In the tax inquiry, about 150 persons are suspected of participating in a scam to evade 180 million euros in turnover tax, a European tax charged on the value added during transactions in goods and services.
The raiders paid especial attention to the Deutsche Bank head office in Frankfurt.
Deutsche Bank says it believes the inquiry will show none of its employees committed any offence.
The spokesman said Saturday the Bank had engaged a law firm to act as special investigator.
That inquiry had found no evidence that prosecutors' claims were true, concluding the bank had assessed "potential partners" to trade in emissions certificates and had refused to deal with numerous customers.
The newspaper said German authorities' original aim had been to seize 700 million euros from a raft of suspicious companies in the surprise raids.
Emissions rights are commonly bought by polluters from industries that emit negligible amounts of climate-changing gases. This rewards the clean enterprises and creates a disincentive to pollute. dpa fvb jbp dms Author: Frank van Bebber