03:16The trail against alleged Swiss spy Daniel M. opened in Frankfurt, Wednesday, in a case revolving around the illegal procurement of German tax payers' information.
Daniel M., 54, has been in police custody since April and is alleged to have worked for the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service over a four year period in Frankfurt as he attempted to find out, with the help of three others, how the German authorities acquired CDs containing taxpayers' information.
North Rhine-Westphalia obtained the information by paying millions of euros for 11 CDs in order to clamp down on tax exiles in Switzerland.
"The federal prosecutor accuses the suspect of being a Swiss spy working for the secret service. The accused obtained, with help of three others, personal data from tax investigators. This data was then used in Swiss arrest warrants against these very tax investigators. Secondly, the accused also attempted to establish a secret mole, also with the help of the three others, to work inside the North Rhine-Westphalia financial administration," explained senior public prosecutor Lienhard Weiss.
Speaking after the proceedings opened, Robert Kain, Daniel M.'s defence lawyer said, "It was reasonable, objective and rational. I believe we're in good shape when it comes to reaching an agreement."
Germany: Proceedings against alleged Swiss tax spy open in Frankfurt
The trail against alleged Swiss spy Daniel M. opened in Frankfurt, Wednesday, in a case revolving around the illegal procurement of German tax payers' information.
Daniel M., 54, has been in police custody since April and is alleged to have worked for the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service over a four year period in Frankfurt as he attempted to find out, with the help of three others, how the German authorities acquired CDs containing taxpayers' information.
North Rhine-Westphalia obtained the information by paying millions of euros for 11 CDs in order to clamp down on tax exiles in Switzerland.
"The federal prosecutor accuses the suspect of being a Swiss spy working for the secret service. The accused obtained, with help of three others, personal data from tax investigators. This data was then used in Swiss arrest warrants against these very tax investigators. Secondly, the accused also attempted to establish a secret mole, also with the help of the three others, to work inside the North Rhine-Westphalia financial administration," explained senior public prosecutor Lienhard Weiss.
Speaking after the proceedings opened, Robert Kain, Daniel M.'s defence lawyer said, "It was reasonable, objective and rational. I believe we're in good shape when it comes to reaching an agreement."
The trail against alleged Swiss spy Daniel M. opened in Frankfurt, Wednesday, in a case revolving around the illegal procurement of German tax payers' information.
Daniel M., 54, has been in police custody since April and is alleged to have worked for the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service over a four year period in Frankfurt as he attempted to find out, with the help of three others, how the German authorities acquired CDs containing taxpayers' information.
North Rhine-Westphalia obtained the information by paying millions of euros for 11 CDs in order to clamp down on tax exiles in Switzerland.
"The federal prosecutor accuses the suspect of being a Swiss spy working for the secret service. The accused obtained, with help of three others, personal data from tax investigators. This data was then used in Swiss arrest warrants against these very tax investigators. Secondly, the accused also attempted to establish a secret mole, also with the help of the three others, to work inside the North Rhine-Westphalia financial administration," explained senior public prosecutor Lienhard Weiss.
Speaking after the proceedings opened, Robert Kain, Daniel M.'s defence lawyer said, "It was reasonable, objective and rational. I believe we're in good shape when it comes to reaching an agreement."