Stories
Swiss Journalist Faces Prison Risk for Exposing Corrupt Banker
C
CNBC TV18•16-10-2026, 17:15
Swiss Journalist Faces Prison Risk for Exposing Corrupt Banker
- •Zurich prosecutors charged Swiss journalist Lukas Haessig with violating banking secrecy laws over his reporting on former Raiffeisen Bank CEO Pierin Vincenz.
- •Inside Paradeplatz published articles in 2016 exposing Vincenz and business partner Beat Stocker, who were later convicted of fraud in April 2022.
- •Police searched Haessig's office and home in June 2025, seizing evidence related to suspected breaches of Swiss banking regulations.
- •Article 47 of the Swiss Banking Act criminalizes the disclosure of leaked bank information, carrying penalties of up to three years in prison.
- •Press freedom groups like Reporters Without Borders condemned the charges, stating the reporting was in the public interest and warning of a chilling effect on journalism.
Key Questions Answered
Zurich prosecutors charged Lukas Haessig with violating Swiss banking secrecy laws through his 2016 financial blog reporting on former Raiffeisen Bank CEO Pierin Vincenz.
Article 47 of the Swiss Banking Act criminalises the disclosure of confidential bank leak information and carries penalties of up to three years in prison or a fine.
Reporters Without Borders Switzerland called the charges troubling, stating that the banking secrecy law must not be used to prosecute journalists and that Haessig's reporting was in the public interest.
