Credit Suisse headquarters in GenevaImage source, Getty Images

Credit Suisse hit out after a massive data leak brought to light the hidden wealth of several clients of the bank.

The data on more than 18,000 bank accounts was leaked to a German newspaper.

As far back as the 1940s, it includes personal, shared and corporate accounts.

Over 50 media organizations have pored over the data.

They believe they have found evidence that Credit Suisse accounts had been used by clients involved in serious crimes.

The Swiss bank strongly rejected the allegations and insinuations about the bank's alleged business practices or lack of due diligence, in a statement on Sunday.

The matters presented are predominantly historical, in some cases dating back as far as the 1940s, and the accounts of these matters are based on partial, inaccurate, orselective information taken out of context.

It has been claimed in reports that the bank opened or maintained accounts for criminals and people involved in human trafficking.

It is not illegal to have a Swiss account and the leak contained data of clients who had done nothing wrong.

More than 40 media organizations around the world received the data from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

Bank accounts dating back decades are included. The majority was opened from 2000 onwards.

Credit Suisse said on Sunday that it had reviewed a large amount of accounts.

Almost all of the reviewed accounts have been closed or are in the process of being closed, although it would not comment on specific clients.

The bank said it was aware of its responsibility to clients and the financial system as a whole to ensure that the highest standards of conduct are upheld.

The media allegations appear to be a concerted effort to undermine the Swiss financial market-place as a whole, which has undergone significant changes over the last several years.

An anonymous source explained their motivation for leaking the records in a statement published by a German newspaper.

Swiss banking secrecy laws are immoral. They wrote that the pretext of protecting financial privacy is a fig leaf that covers the shameful role of Swiss banks as tax evaders.

It's not known if the person is an individual or a group.

They acknowledged that having an offshore Swiss bank account does not imply tax evasion or any other financial crime.

Significant additional measures have been taken by Credit Suisse over the last decade.

The Swiss bank has had a number of scandals, including the departure of two of its top executives after allegedly breaking Covid regulations.

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