Dutch authorities launch Tax raids over 55000 suspect accounts

Authorities in the Netherlands said the probe related to as many as 55,000 suspect accounts held at a Swiss bank, which officials refused to identify however Credit Suisse later released a statement to confirm its involvement in the investigation.

The statement did not identify the bank but Credit Suisse's London, Paris and Amsterdam offices were contacted by local authorities over client tax matters, the Zurich-based banks confirmed on Friday, after Dutch prosecutors said they had seized assets and arrested two people in an international hunt for tax evaders, as Financial Times reported in the morning. Credit Suisse spokeswoman Anna Sexton declined to comment further.

However, “The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland is disconcerted about the manner in which this has been organised with the conscious non-inclusion of Switzerland,” it said in an emailed statement to Reuters. “The attorney general expects a written explanation from the relevant leading Dutch authorities and is examining further actions.”

The coordinated raids, carried out in the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Australia and France on Thursday, followed consultations with national governments. In searches Thursday, a spokeswoman for Dutch prosecutors says, authorities detained two suspects and seized a gold bar, luxury cars, dozens of paintings, real estate, jewelry and bank accounts as well as data from thousands of account holders. He said the investigation would “continue for days and weeks” across the various countries. The Netherlands is investigating 3,800 Dutch leads.