Swiss ‘WikiLeaks banker’ to be held for 10 days

Rudolf Elmer had said his nine-year campaign against former employer Bank Julius Baer was marred by missteps, and insisted he was no traitor.

Former Swiss banker by Rudolf Elmer hands two CD cases full of files to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at an event on January 17. File photo

A court in Switzerland has ordered former Julius Baer banker Rudolf Elmer detained for 10 days while authorities probe whether he handed secret account details to WikiLeaks.

Prosecutors are investigating whether Mr. Elmer broke Swiss banking secrecy laws when he gave two data CDs to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at a Jan 17 event in London.

Mr. Elmer says the CDs contain details of rich individuals who use offshore accounts to avoid paying tax. WikiLeaks has said it will examine the data before publishing any of it.

A Zurich court found Elmer guilty Wednesday of coercion and breaking bank secrecy laws in an earlier case. He was given a fine of more than 6,000 Swiss francs ($ 6,260), payable if he offends again in the next two years.