France has denied that it paid for what is claimed to be stolen information on suspected tax evaders with Swiss bank accounts.
It comes after newspaper Le Parisien said part of list of some 3000 names, allegedly taken by an employee of HSBC’s private bank in Geneva, was being used by French tax authorities to put pressure on Switzerland.
France’s budget minister said: ‘‘This list comes from several sources. It’s not from that one source. I neither confirm nor deny. It’s not for the financial authorities to reveal these sources. And also nothing was bought.’‘
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“I neither confirm nor deny?” Confirm nor deny what? If he’s saying their list is not from the one insider at HSBC, then why aren’t they just denying it? Or are they just denying that they paid for the data, and not, necessarily, that they got any data from an HSBC insider? Does anyone understand this “denial?” If so, please explain it to me.