An investigation conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed that between 1988 and 2007, Swiss Private Bank handled accounts of 106,000 customers from 203 countries for 100 billion dollars. The owners of the accounts allegedly did not declare that money in their home countries to evade taxes.
According to ICIJ, the Swiss subsidiary of HSBC handled the accounts of 2,642 Mexican customers with a total of 2.2 billion dollars. The list of Mexicans was released by Univision, that participated in the investigation along with ICIJ and the French newspaper Le Monde.
Some of the Mexicans with secret bank accounts at the Swiss subsidiary of HSBC, Swiss Private Bank, are:
- Carlos Hank Rhon, businessman
- Federico Said Camil Garza, father of actor Jaime Camil
- Luis Téllez, former director of the Mexican Stock Exchange.
- Alfredo Elías Ayub, former director of the Federal Electricity Commission.
- Eugenio Ebrard, former CEO of Walmart for Mexico
- Moisés El Mann Arazi, construction tycoon
- Enrique Vilatela, a banker who served the Mexican government from 1975 to 2000.
- Guillermo Prieto Treviño, former director of the Mexican Stock Exchange and current president of the Mexican Association of Automobile Dealers.
The list of Mexicans of the Swiss bank also includes the partner of a major financial group, with about 168 million dollars; a renowned ophthalmologist, with 111 million dollars; an entrepreneur of the textile industry, with 95 million dollars; the founders of an internet and cable television company, with 74 and 75 million dollars each, and a renowned filmmaker, with 50 million dollars
Asked by Univision, Óscar Molina, chief of the division of Large Taxpayers of Mexico's Tax Administration Service (SAT), said that whoever is listed is not necessarily a tax evader.
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Federico Said Camil Garza said in an interview with a collaborator of ICIJ that he had accounts in the Swiss branch of HSBC, but that he can not remember the details of the source of the funds.
One was opened in 2000 on behalf of Letona Anstal and was closed in 2001, while the other one was active from 1994-2002, said Camil. He added that "the Ministry of Finance and the CNBV checked absolutely everything.''
Arturo Elías Ayub and Luis Téllez told Univision that the accounts belonged to their parents, while Eugenio Ebrard sent a letter to Univision saying that he opened an account at HSBC Mexico that he closed in 2009 when he withdrew all his savings. He added that he accumulated up to US$853,000 in the account, obtained from his income at Walmart Group.
Guillermo Prieto Treviño said that all his income is reported to Mexico's Ministry of Finance while Carlos Hank declined to comment on the accounts.
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