Swiss journalist Lukas Hässig charged with breaching bank secrecy over Raiffeisen reports
Zurich prosecutors have filed charges against Inside Paradeplatz founder Lukas Hässig for allegedly violating bank-secrecy rules in his 2016 articles about former Raiffeisen chief Pierin Vincenz.
Lukas Hässig, the operator of the online platform Inside Paradeplatz, now faces criminal charges in Zurich for purportedly breaching Swiss bank-secrecy statutes. Prosecutors allege that his 2016 series on former Raiffeisen chief Pierin Vincenz relied on protected details from a Julius Bär internal file, thereby violating Article 47 of the banking law. After the case was dropped three times, Beat Stocker, a co-accused in the Raiffeisen investigation, pressed for Hässig’s prosecution, arguing that the journalist’s coverage invaded his privacy.
The Zurich Higher Court accepted Stocker’s request, and the Federal Supreme Court rejected Hässig’s appeal, mandating the indictment. The legal action reflects recent amendments to Swiss banking legislation that expose journalists to up to three years in prison for publishing leaked bank data. Vincenz and Stocker are awaiting a verdict scheduled for January 2027, while Hässig’s trial will test the balance between press freedom and financial confidentiality.
Why it matters
The case tests how far Swiss law will go in restricting journalists from publishing leaked banking information.
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