Rudolf Elmer
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Elmer is a former employee of Swiss bank Julius Bär
. He worked for the bank for close to two decades, the last position being overseeing the Caribbean operations of the bank for eight years until his dismissal in 2002. He came to prominence as a whistleblower
in 2008 when he gave secret documents to WikiLeaks
detailing the activities of Julius Bär in the Cayman Islands
and alleged tax evasion
. Before that, he was arrested in 2005 for 30 days. He was convicted in Switzerland
in January 2011 and rearrested immediately after for having distributed illegally obtained data to WikiLeaks early in January 2011. Julius Bär alleges that Elmer has doctored evidence to suggest the tax evasion.
, Elmer gave a report entitled To throw light on the dark side:
"I am a critic of offshore business by banks and multinational companies. Offshore centres have multiplied since the 1960s to the present, increasing from 10 to 80. Trusts
as in the laws of Commonwealth countries are – despite being legal – illegitimate. Privacy protection is important for banking and I am not against bank secrecy but companies abuse this secrecy. I have never received money from tax authorities. I want to change the system."
revealed that Elmer was the source of documents that appeared some weeks earlier on WikiLeaks; Der Spiegel referred to them as partly authentic and partly fake..
A California judge had the service provider of WikiLeaks block the site's domain (wikileaks.org) on behalf of Julius Bär on 18 February 2008, although the bank only wanted the documents to be removed (WikiLeaks had failed to name a contact person).
According to Der Spiegel and the Swiss television documentary show "Rundschau", on 2 March 2008, Elmer accused his bank of evading taxes in Switzerland by declaring bank work to have been carried out in the Cayman Islands, whereas the work was actually done in Switzerland.
On 17 January 2011, Elmer staged a press conference with Julian Assange
to hand over two discs of data in front of reporters. He told reporters, "As a banker, I have the right to stand up if something is wrong [...] I am against the system. I know how the system works and I know the day-to-day business. I wanted to let society know how this system works because it's damaging society". He added that he had tried to approach universities with his data but that they had not responded. Likewise, attempts to attract the attention of the Swiss media had failed, with Elmer being dismissed as "a paranoid person, a mentally ill person". Elmer began to lose hope, "but then a friend of mine told me: 'There's WikiLeaks.' I looked at it and thought: 'That's the only hope I have to [let] society know what's going on.'"
, with a probation
period of two years. Elmer is appealing against the conviction.
After he left court he was re-arrested in connection with handing data to WikiLeaks only two days earlier, a move that was described by the prosecutor of the first case as contempt of court
. On 25 July 2011, Elmer was set free.
Multimedia
Julius Bar
Julius Bar can refer to:*Julius , a historic gay bar in New York City*Julius Baer Group, a Swiss bank founded by Julius Bär...
. He worked for the bank for close to two decades, the last position being overseeing the Caribbean operations of the bank for eight years until his dismissal in 2002. He came to prominence as a whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
in 2008 when he gave secret documents to WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
detailing the activities of Julius Bär in the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
and alleged tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
. Before that, he was arrested in 2005 for 30 days. He was convicted in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in January 2011 and rearrested immediately after for having distributed illegally obtained data to WikiLeaks early in January 2011. Julius Bär alleges that Elmer has doctored evidence to suggest the tax evasion.
Statements
At a press conference hosted by Alternative ListAlternative List
The Alternative List , abbreviated to AL, is a socialist political party in Switzerland.The AL has existed since 1990 as a loose coalition of left-wing activists. At the beginning of 2007, the AL Zurich was transformed into a political union...
, Elmer gave a report entitled To throw light on the dark side:
"I am a critic of offshore business by banks and multinational companies. Offshore centres have multiplied since the 1960s to the present, increasing from 10 to 80. Trusts
Trust law
In common law legal systems, a trust is a relationship whereby property is held by one party for the benefit of another...
as in the laws of Commonwealth countries are – despite being legal – illegitimate. Privacy protection is important for banking and I am not against bank secrecy but companies abuse this secrecy. I have never received money from tax authorities. I want to change the system."
Work with WikiLeaks
On 3 March 2008 the German magazine Der SpiegelDer Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
revealed that Elmer was the source of documents that appeared some weeks earlier on WikiLeaks; Der Spiegel referred to them as partly authentic and partly fake..
A California judge had the service provider of WikiLeaks block the site's domain (wikileaks.org) on behalf of Julius Bär on 18 February 2008, although the bank only wanted the documents to be removed (WikiLeaks had failed to name a contact person).
According to Der Spiegel and the Swiss television documentary show "Rundschau", on 2 March 2008, Elmer accused his bank of evading taxes in Switzerland by declaring bank work to have been carried out in the Cayman Islands, whereas the work was actually done in Switzerland.
On 17 January 2011, Elmer staged a press conference with Julian Assange
Julian Assange
Julian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher, journalist, writer, computer programmer and Internet activist. He is the editor in chief of WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website and conduit for worldwide news leaks with the stated purpose of creating open governments.WikiLeaks has published material...
to hand over two discs of data in front of reporters. He told reporters, "As a banker, I have the right to stand up if something is wrong [...] I am against the system. I know how the system works and I know the day-to-day business. I wanted to let society know how this system works because it's damaging society". He added that he had tried to approach universities with his data but that they had not responded. Likewise, attempts to attract the attention of the Swiss media had failed, with Elmer being dismissed as "a paranoid person, a mentally ill person". Elmer began to lose hope, "but then a friend of mine told me: 'There's WikiLeaks.' I looked at it and thought: 'That's the only hope I have to [let] society know what's going on.'"
Trial and rearrest
On 19 January 2011, in a court of first instance, Elmer was found guilty of threatening an employee at Julius Bär, attempting to extort a payment from that bank and breaching banking secrecy laws. He was sentenced to either spend 240 days in jail or pay a fine of 7,200 Swiss francs, but the sentence was suspendedSuspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
, with a probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
period of two years. Elmer is appealing against the conviction.
After he left court he was re-arrested in connection with handing data to WikiLeaks only two days earlier, a move that was described by the prosecutor of the first case as contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
. On 25 July 2011, Elmer was set free.
External links
- rudolfelmer.com – Activist, reformer, banker - Swiss whistleblower Rudolf Elmer
- Channel 4 News – Who Knows Who: Rudolf Elmer
Multimedia
- PRESS CONFERENCE: Rudolf Elmer Extended recording of press conference featuring Rudolf Elmer and Julian AssangeJulian AssangeJulian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher, journalist, writer, computer programmer and Internet activist. He is the editor in chief of WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website and conduit for worldwide news leaks with the stated purpose of creating open governments.WikiLeaks has published material...
at the Frontline ClubFrontline ClubThe Frontline Club is a media club near London's Paddington Station. With a strong emphasis on conflict reporting, it aims to champion independent journalism, provide an effective platform from which to support diversity and professionalism in the media, promote safe practice, and encourage both...