'Parody of justice' as HSBC whistleblower sentenced to 5 years in jail

The HSBC whistleblower that was responsible for the biggest leak in banking history has been sentenced to five years in jail in absentia by a Swiss court.  

Hervé Falciani, a former IT worker at the bank, did not attend the trial as he has sought refuge in France. As a holder of both an Italian and French passport, he cannot be extradited by either of those countries. It is unlikely he will serve his sentence.

Falciani’s leak formed the crux of revelations that showed HSBC’s Swiss banking arm was feigning ignorance on the activities of arms dealers. The bank was also helping wealthy people avoid paying tax.

He downloaded the details of 130,000 Swiss account holders and handed them to French investigators in December 2008. They were subsequently circulated to other European governments.