Former UBS banker Bradley Birkenfeld, who helped the US agencies prosecute his employer for aiding tax evasion, has received approval to travel to Paris and testify in French tax evasion probe as well.
US district court judge William Zloch agreed that Birkenfeld, who won a $104m whistle-blower award for his revelations against UBS, can travel to Paris to testify before a French judge Guillaume Daieff on 27 February.
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On 3 February, Birkenfeld was subpoenaed by Daieff, who is investigating whether UBS engaged in laundering the proceeds of tax fraud.
Last month, Zloch rejected Birkenfeld’s request to end his probation, which doesn’t officially end until November 2015, so he could move to Europe.
French judges are investigation whether UBS assisted clients in France to open Swiss bank accounts to hide money.
In 2009, Zloch sentenced Birkenfeld to 40 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to conspiring to defraud the US.
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By GlobalDataLast year, UBS paid 1.1bn ($1.4bn) security deposit for allegedly helping wealthy French clients evade taxes even as it continues to challenge the accusations.
In 2009, the Swiss bank was fined $780m for helping wealthy US citizens evade taxes.
