瑞銀與美國就交出客戶資料達成和解

UBS and the US government yesterday agreed an out-of-court settlement to resolve one of the most bitter assaults on Switzerland's hallowed bank secrecy.

瑞銀(UBS)昨日與美國政府達成庭外和解，了結(jié)了針對瑞士神圣不可侵犯的銀行保密制度的最猛烈打擊之一。

The case has significant implications for the future of client confidentiality, amid fears among many Swiss bankers that a dilution of traditional secrecy rules could prompt a defection by worried foreign customers.

此案對客戶保密的未來有重大影響。許多瑞士銀行家擔(dān)心，傳統(tǒng)的保密規(guī)則遭到?jīng)_淡，可能引發(fā)擔(dān)心的外國客戶撤出。

No details of the deal were revealed, pending formal signing, probably early next week. However, lawyers said the settlement would involve UBS supplying the names of least 5,000 US offshore clients and possibly paying a big fine. Shares in the bank closed up 3 per cent at SFr16.34 on relief that the issue had finally been resolved.

和解協(xié)議很可能在下周初正式簽署，目前未披露任何細節(jié)。然而，律師們表示，協(xié)議會涉及瑞銀提供至少5000名美國離岸客戶的姓名，并可能支付巨額罰金。問題的最終解決讓市場松了一口氣，瑞銀股價上漲3%，收于16.34瑞郎。

Bankers were reluctant to comment before knowing the terms. But the Swiss bankers' association said it expected the settlement “would be consistent with Swiss law”.

在知曉協(xié)議條款之前，銀行家們不愿意做出評論。但瑞士的銀行家協(xié)會表示，預(yù)期該協(xié)議“將符合瑞士法律”。

The difficulty of finding a formula allowing Bern to authorise a breach of bank secrecy rules, while maintaining the facade of client confidentiality, probably explains why the deal took so long, after lawyers indicated agreement in principle last month.

很難找出一種解決方案，讓瑞士政府在授權(quán)違反銀行保密規(guī)則的同時，在表面上維護為客戶保密的形象。這很可能就是為什么敲定該協(xié)議需要這么久，盡管上個月律師們就表示原則上已達成協(xié)議。

Lawyers said a crucial factor might have been the willingness of the Internal Revenue Service, the US tax authority, to act in line with formal international legal assistance procedures, rather than demanding exceptional accelerated treatment.

律師們表示，關(guān)鍵因素之一也許是美國國稅局(Internal Revenue Service)愿意遵循正式的國際法律協(xié)助程序，而不要求加速執(zhí)行的特殊待遇。

譯者/管婧