BANCO SUIÇO LAVA MAIS SUJO

[zimermann]

18/02/2009

Banco suíço lava mais sujo

O UBS admitiu nos EUA que cometia o crime de ajudar americanos ricos a sumir com dinheiro para não pagar imposto. Admitiu e assinou embaixo. Um vexame grosso, daqueles para dar razão a todos os títulos do tipo "bancos suíços lavam mais sujo" ou "a Suíça lava mais branco".

O UBS, o maior banco da Suíça, vai pagar ao governo dos Estados Unidos US$ 780 milhões, uma espécie de multa, para se livrar de um processo de fraude fiscal. Terá também de dedar os americanos que faziam a negociata.

Literalmente, o UBS é acusado de "conspiração para fraudar os Estados Unidos e sua agência 'Internal Revenue Service' [o IRS, a Receita Federal deles]". Na verdade, não é apenas "acusado". Segundo o texto do acordo firmado entre a Justiça dos EUA e o banco, o UBS "reconhece e aceita" que de "2000 até 2007" "participou de um esquema para fraudar os Estados Unidos e o IRS" por meio da criações de contas "offshore" (fora dos EUA), com o objetivo de esconder dinheiro e transações financeiras do fisco, entre outras lambanças. Além do mais, o acordo assinado pelo UBS diz ainda que executivos e gerentes do UBS sabiam da maracutaia e continuaram a realizá-la até 2007 devido "à lucratividade do negócio" (sic).

Não era coisa de varejo. O Departamento ("ministério") da Justiça dos EUA acusa o UBS de ter cometido o crime de ajudar mais de 17 mil americanos a fraudar o imposto de renda. Segundo o governo americano, apenas em 2004 os banqueiros suíços fizeram 3.800 viagens para aos EUA para fazer a negociata da pirataria fiscal. Se o bancão suíço auxiliar a investigação e parar com a maracutaia, o governo dos EUA vai deixar o processo criminal para lá.

Na verdade, não se tratava de negócio com subsidiárias do banco: era "aconselhamento" por debaixo do pano mesmo. "Enviados especiais" do UBS procuravam aglomerações de ricos nos EUA e ofereciam os serviços de esconder dinheiro do fisco.

Ajudar a investigação significa: dedar os fraudadores do fisco, seus nomes e suas contas. O caldo vai entornar, pois um banco suíço entregar nome de clientes é coisa raríssima.


Coisa semelhante se faz no Brasil, o que os bancos suíços daqui negam, embora o rolo já tenha resultado em algumas prisões pela Polícia Federal. Bem, se fazem nos Estados Unidos, onde a coisa dá processo e cadeia, porque não fariam no Brasil? Veja post sobre o assunto publicado aqui, em 12 de novembro: Bancões que lavam dinheiro de fortunas: EUA e Brasil.


O UBS disse em nota oficial que "cometemos erros e nossos sistemas de controle era inadequados" e admitiu "plena responsabilidade por estas atividades impróprias". Isto é, reconheceu que fizeram besteira grossa e que ajudou a armar a bandalheira.

A auto-regulação do mercado é mesmo uma maravilha.
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Bancões que lavam dinheiro de fortunas: EUA e Brasil
Um executivo do UBS suíço foi acusado formalmente nos EUA de ajudar até 20 mil americanos ricos a esconder dinheiro em paraísos fiscais _o Departamento de Justiça dos EUA suspeita que a evasão chega a US$ 20 bilhões. Deu no "New York Times" (leia aqui). Um outro gestor de contas gordas ("private banking") havia se declarado culpado em junho de ajudar clientes a sonegar impostos.

Aqui no Brasil pode ter coisa parecida. Uma série de reportagens de Mario Cesar Carvalho na Folha vem relatando desde 2005 as investigações sobre executivos de bancos suíços que agem no Brasil de maneira parecida. Não há ligações conhecidas desses suspeitos com as filiais dos bancos suíços que operam no Brasil. Mas o Ministério Público e a Polícia Federal investigam esses supostos "enviados especiais". Vários já foram presos.

A suspeita é de que tais gestores usavam doleiros para mandar ilegalmente dinheiro para o exterior e/ou mandar dinheiro ilegal (caixa dois de empresa) para fora. Em reuniões em Punta del Este (Uruguai), clientes brasileiros conheciam o esquema.

Mas os processos estão bem mal parados por aqui.

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UBS Executive Indicted in U.S. Inquiry

By LYNNLEY BROWNING
Published: November 12, 2008

A senior Swiss executive at the banking giant UBS has been indicted in an investigation of the bank and its offshore private banking services for wealthy Americans, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The executive, Raoul Weil, oversaw UBS's lucrative cross-border private banking operations from 2002 to 2007.

In a move that could spell bigger trouble for UBS, the indictment also referred to unindicted co-conspirators who "occupied positions of the highest level of management within the Swiss bank." The individuals, the document said, sat on committees that oversaw legal, compliance, tax, risk and other issues. The indictment also referred to unindicted senior bankers, and the managers and "desk heads" who oversaw them.

Prosecutors for the United States attorney's office in the Southern District of Florida charged Mr. Weil with conspiracy, contending that he allowed American clients to evade taxes by hiding assets overseas in accounts that went undeclared to the Internal Revenue Service.

The Justice Department contends that UBS, which is based in Zurich and has large operations in the United States, illegally helped up to 20,000 American clients hide $20 billion in offshore accounts, thereby evading $300 million a year in taxes from 2000 to 2007.

The indictment said that up to 17,000 clients of UBS illegally concealed their names and control of cross-border accounts from the I.R.S. The indictment named up to 20,000 American clients as unindicted co-conspirators, reflecting a new strategy by the Justice Department to tackle the consumers of abusive offshore deals.

Mr. Weil resigned immediately. In a statement, UBS said that "Mr. Weil has determined that, in the interest of the firm and its clients, and in order to defend himself, he will relinquish his duties at this time pending the resolution of this matter." On an interim basis, Marten S. Hoekstra, the deputy chief executive of global wealth management and business banking and head of wealth management for the United States, will assume Mr. Weil's duties, the statement said.

A lawyer for Mr. Weil, Aaron R. Marcu of Covington & Burling, said in a statement that the indictment was "totally unjustified and without any factual basis. Mr. Weil denies any suggestion that he was aware of, engaged in or tolerated any illegal conduct in the operation of UBS's U.S. cross-border business."

The indictment significantly ramps up the pressure on UBS, which is under scrutiny both in the United States and in Europe over whether it has helped clients evade taxes by hiding money in offshore accounts. The bank is struggling to preserve its centuries-old tradition of Swiss banking secrecy amid the scrutiny.

The indictment is the second in the case. In May, Bradley C. Birkenfeld, an American who was a senior private banker at UBS, was accused of helping a UBS client evade taxes through undeclared offshore accounts. He pleaded guilty in June and is cooperating with prosecutors in their investigation. Mr. Birkenfeld is expected to be sentenced to in January.

The offshore banking services brought in annual revenue of $200 million before UBS said it shut them down this year.

Mr. Weil, who turns 49 on Thursday, was the head of UBS's wealth management business, which included the United States cross-border business now under scrutiny. He was promoted in July 2007 to chief executive of a UBS division that oversaw the United States cross-border business and worldwide private banking.

The bankers, managers and desk heads identified as co-conspirators helped American clients hide assets by preparing forms called W8-BENs that made it look as if offshore entities, and not the clients, held the assets. The clients also failed to file I.R.S. disclosure forms that are required if they have an interest in foreign financial accounts worth more than $10,000.

One unnamed manager referred clients in 2000 to outside lawyers and accountants to set up illegal offshore entities with UBS. Another manager told clients worried about being caught by the I.R.S. that UBS "would not be pressured" to disclose clients' identities.

Mr. Weil, the indictment said, referred to the private banking business he oversaw as "toxic waste," because he knew that UBS was flouting United States tax and securities laws as well as a special agreement between the bank and the I.R.S. Mr. Weil, the indictment said, instructed bankers to expand the private banking business even as it was coming under federal scrutiny.

Letters reviewed by The New York Times in August showed that senior executives were alerted at least three years ago to possible violations of securities laws in dealings with American clients of its private bank. The letters cast a spotlight on the senior executives who were copied on them, including Marcel Rohner, who led the bank's global wealth management unit and has been chief executive since 2007, and Peter Kurer, the bank's former top lawyer, who is now its chairman.