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Switzerland’s Golden Secret

How Germany’s WWII defeat led to Swiss banks enacting a “Law of Secrecy”

In 1934 a “Law of Secrecy” was passed in Switzerland to protect the assets of Germans fleeing their country in the aftermath of World War II.

This no-questions-asked policy conferred secrecy on anyone with holdings in Switzerland, allowing criminals and dictators to hide their bank accounts from the rest of the world.

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30 minutes

鶹 World Service Archive

This programme was restored as part of the World Service archive project