8chan/8kun QResearch Posts (5)
#10546180 at 2020-09-06 14:35:06 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #13495: Sunrise Over Satan's Lies - Light Intensifies - Edition
Credit Suisse May Have Spied on More Staff, Swiss Newspaper Says
Credit Suisse Group AG may have spied on other employees beyond former star banker Iqbal Khan and its ex-head of human resources, Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported, citing people familiar with the matter and a probe of the bank's activities by banking regulator Finma. The Swiss bank surveilled a former employee in the U.S. as well as an ex-staff member in Asia and Finma is aware of the alleged activities, the newspaper reported, citing the people and an internal bank report. The employees that were allegedly spied on weren't members of senior management, SonntagsZeitung reported. Finma said earlier this month it had launched enforcement proceedings against Credit Suisse into alleged spying by the bank against Khan who joined rival bank UBS Group AG. It later emerged that ex-human resources chief Peter Goerke had also been monitored.
A Credit Suisse spokesman told Bloomberg on Sunday that the bank couldn't comment on the matter due to the ongoing Finma proceedings. The spokesman cited a previous statement that it would fully cooperate with Finma and that "the observation of employees is not part of the culture of Credit Suisse." A spokesman for Finma declined to comment, citing the ongoing proceedings.
SonntagsZeitung reported that one of the employees allegedly shadowed by Credit Suisse had threatened other staff and was therefore monitored. The other case could involve two former U.S. workers who had a relationship and may have shared bank information with outside parties, SonntagsZeitung said, citing the people. The Khan spy scandal tainted the bank's reputation, led to the ouster of CEO Tidjane Thiam after a power struggle, and rattled the usually quiet world of Swiss banking. An internal probe ordered by the bank at the time concluded that Thiam didn't know about the spying, and that Chief Operating Officer Pierre-Olivier Bouee was responsible. Bouee was fired late last year.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-06/credit-suisse-may-have-spied-on-more-staff-swiss-newspaper-says
#10506301 at 2020-09-02 19:18:04 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #13446: Silent War? Digital Army Is Not Silent! Edition
Swiss Regulator Launches Enforcement Action Against Credit Suisse Over Spying Allegations
Credit Suisse stated that it "will continue to fully cooperate" with the regulator
Although FINMA cannot fine a bank, it has the power to ban executives from the industry
The case involves allegations that the bank spied on one of its most prominent bankers, wealth management chief Iqbal Khan
Switzerland's banking regulator said it has opened enforcement proceedings against Credit Suisse Group (CS) in connection with a spying scandal that led to the ouster of its former CEO.
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, or FINMA, noted that earlier this year it appointed an auditor to investigate Credit Suisse. With that probe now complete, FINMA will now determine if the bank violated its supervisory laws.
In response to FINMA's decision, Credit Suisse stated that it "will continue to fully cooperate" with the regulator and that it is "determined to support the effort to ensure a complete and expeditious conclusion of the review of this episode and incorporate lessons learned."
The bank added that "the observation [spying] of employees is not part of the culture of Credit Suisse."
Although FINMA cannot fine a bank, it has the power to ban executives from the industry, Bloomberg reported.
The case engulfing Credit Suisse involves allegations that the bank spied on one of its most prominent bankers, wealth management chief Iqbal Khan, who left for rival Swiss bank UBS Group (UBS) last summer.
As a result of the embarrassment arising from the episode, Credit Suisse ousted CEO Tidjane Thiam and replaced him with longtime executive Thomas Gottstein.
However, an internal investigation by Credit Suisse found that Thiam was unaware of the spying, and that the bank's Chief Operating Officer Pierre-Olivier Bouee was responsible. (Bouee was fired late in 2019). It was later revealed that Peter Goerke, the bank's former human resources chief, as well as a female U.S executive, had also been illegally surveilled.
Credit Suisse Chairman Urs Rohner (who forced Thiam out) apologized to Khan for the "wrong and disproportionate" observation activities which he admitted caused the bank "severe reputational damage."
Thiam, who took over the Swiss bank in 2015, had stated at the time of his resignation: "I had no knowledge of the observation [spying] of two former colleagues. It undoubtedly disturbed Credit Suisse and caused anxiety and hurt. I regret that this happened and it should never have taken place."
https://www.ibtimes.com/swiss-regulator-launches-enforcement-action-against-credit-suisse-over-spying-3039083
#7899915 at 2020-01-24 17:20:40 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #10109: Melania Monday Edition
Credit Suisse's Spying-Scandal Scapegoat Has Decided To Fight Back
After being blatantly scapegoated and unceremoniously pushed out of Credit Suisse by his former boss and one-time mentor, Pierre-Olivier Bouee, the former COO of the Swiss megabank, has decided that it's time to fight back.
Those who closely followed media reports about Credit Suisse's spying scandal will likely remember that a pedestrian spat over shrubbery sparked one of the biggest scandals to rock to Swiss banking world since the American government cracked down on tax cheats hiding their money in Switzerland.
Thanks to a personal spat between CS CEO Tidjane Thiam and Iqbal Khan, Khan quit as head of the bank's head of wealth management in July, and soon found himself with a job offer from UBS. Alarmed by such a high-profile defection, CS hired a security team to effectively spy on Khan to stop him from poaching other employees and clients.
However, this plot soon blew up in the bank's face, when Khan decided to confront one of the security team members after he made them while traveling through downtown Zurich. The confrontation turned physical, and a member of the security team was eventually arrested for allegedly threatening Khan.
Soon after news of the spying scandal hit the press in September, a liaison who reportedly connected CS with the security team committed suicide over the embarrassment. The story quickly spread, sparking a public discussion about corporate espionage. Some reports claimed CS also engaged in this type of surveillance in the US.
Credit Suisse launched an internal probe, prompting some to speculate that Thiam might be dethroned. But the investigation into the spying saga eventually cleared Thiam of any knowledge or involvement, while the full burden of responsibility fell on his COO.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/credit-suisses-spying-scandal-scapegoat-has-decided-fight-back
#7597899 at 2019-12-23 12:09:03 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #9720: Bucking Bronco Board Becomes Bucolic Edition
Credit Suisse blames former COO for covering up second spying case
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-credit-suisse-gp-shadow-idUSKBN1YR0KE
ZURICH (Reuters) - Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) on Monday cleared CEO Tidjane Thiam and other top executives from knowledge of a second spying incident, saying former Chief Operating Officer Pierre-Olivier Bouee had the Swiss bank's then-head of human resources followed in February and covered it up.
Switzerland's second-biggest bank confirmed it was behind the second internal spying scandal to surface this year after a newspaper report last week detailed former HR head Peter Goerke's tailing.
#7596454 at 2019-12-23 04:26:39 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #9718: The Qure! Merry Gitmas! Edition
Credit Suisse Ex-Employee Says "Striking Tall Blonde" Spy Followed Her In Manhattan And Long Island
When Colleen Graham heard a story of investigators looking into Credit Suisse for spying on its recently departed head of wealth management, something sounded familiar.
She had recalled, years prior, when she was working on a JV between the bank and Palantir Technologies, a "striking tall blonde" had followed her in Manhattan after she refused to sign off on how revenue from the JV would be booked. She filed a complaint in 2017 alleging the bank had taken retaliatory measures against her, including the surveillance, according to Bloomberg. Credit Suisse had "expressed strong frustration" about her stance on the revenue recognition, she claimed. So she reached out to CEO Tidjane Thiam and Chairman Urs Rohner, offering up the details of her story. She also reached out to the law firm the bank hired to investigate.
However, on October 1, the lawyers came out and said they had "not identified any evidence that Credit Suisse had ordered observations of other employees." Instead, it was COO Pierre-Olivier Bouee who had acted alone in ordering the former employee be followed. Rohner said that staff surveillance was not "part of our toolbox." The bank said it's "examining the new information." Graham's report didn't make it into the lawyer's findings. Additionally, Swiss newspaper NZZ reported on December 16 that the bank's HR chief, Peter Goerke, was also followed for 3 days in February. The events continue to act as a headwind for Thiam, who is focused on trying to shift the narrative to Credit Suisse's performance - and away from the scandal that has dented the bank's reputation. Questions continue to be raised about who was "in the know" about the behavior at the bank.
Credit Suisse said the results of its own investigation will be published on Monday.
Preliminary results show no evidence of Thiam having knowledge of the surveillance. Swiss financial regulators are also stepping up their investigation into the bank. Finma appointed an independent auditor to look into the spying allegations, according to a statement late on Friday. The activities raise "various compliance issues," according to the regulator. In an email to Thiam and Rohner in September, Graham says she was followed from the "lobby of my lawyer's office into a pharmacy several blocks away and to the building where I was interviewing" at BlackRock. She also says she saw the same woman in a black Range Rover following her on Long Island. She said "the woman wanted me to know she was following me." She heard nothing in response to her email, so she also wrote to the law firm, Homburger. A lawyer responded, suggesting they speak by phone on September 30, one day prior to the firm releasing their report.
Graham worked as senior compliance executive at Credit Suisse before being hired to head Signac, a venture that used Palantir software to detect unauthorized trading by employees. Department of Labor investigators also looked at her allegations and dismissed the claims in April. Credit Suisse has called them "baseless". Recall, this is hardly the first time "business intelligence firms" or spies have been used in the world of finance. Critics of the company Wirecard were recently targeted by spies, according to the FT. Well known short seller Carson Block even caught one spy on camera after he claimed to be a WSJ reporter while digging for information.
In 2017, another "gorgeous blonde" spy was famously outed after apparently seeking counterintelligence on a controversial insurance company.
She was later found to be the woman who tried to coerce information out of Rose McGowan on behalf of Harvey Weinstein and in 2019, later outed herself officially in an embarrassing apology tour.
https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/credit-suisse-ex-employee-says-striking-tall-blonde-spy-followed-her-manhattan-and