Germany turned down second offer of Liechtenstein data

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

BERLIN (AFP) — The German finance ministry said Friday it had declined an opportunity to buy information about a second bank in Liechtenstein as part of a vast tax fraud probe centred on the principality.

"No information passed into our hands," finance ministry spokesman Thorsten Albig told reporters.

Albig confirmed a report that the state was offered a disc containing confidential data from Liechtenstein's LBB bank by lawyers acting for a man who is being detained in northern Germany, but turned it down.

Germany's ARD television reported that the man is being held on charges of blackmail for extorting nine million euros (13.8 million dollars) from LLB after threatening to reveal banking secrets.

It said that his lawyers had confirmed offering...