THE GUARDIAN: Judge gives Rudolf Elmer suspended fine for breaching banking secrecy in giving client information to whistleblowing website
A Swiss banker who publicised private client data on WikiLeaks was found guilty today of breaching strict banking secrecy and threatening former colleagues, but was given only a suspended fine.
The judge acquitted Rudolf Elmer on charges he sought $50,000 (£31,250) for returning client data to former employer Julius Baer and that he made a bomb threat to the bank's headquarters.
Elmer, who helped bring WikiLeaks to prominence three years ago when he used it to publish secret client details and who handed over new data to the website on Monday, had admitted sending Julius Baer data to tax authorities.
But he had denied blackmail and a bomb threat against Baer, and said he had never taken payments in return for secret data.
The court sentenced him to a fine of 7,200 Swiss francs (£4,700), suspended for two years, without giving reasons; those will come in a written judgment. The prosecution had called for an eight-month jail term and a fine of 2,000 francs.
The defence will decide whether to appeal within 10 days. >>> Reuters | Wednesday, January 19, 2011
