WIKILEAKS PRESS RELEASE
Fri Dec 5 18:33:02 GMT 2008
"Bank Julius Baer CEO commits suicide"
Alex Widmer, the Chief Executive Officer of Bank Julius Baer has died
unexpectedly at age 52.
The Swiss headquarted bank is the largest "private banking" group
with over USD 300 billion in assets hidden or invested on behalf of
extremely wealthy individuals and some institutions.
According to multiple independent press reports (Reuters, 20minutes),
the cause of death was suicide. The reasons are not yet
publicly known.
In February, the bank attempted, unsuccessfully, to sue Wikileaks
in the United States over whistleblower revelations pertaining to
the bank's Cayman Islands operations.
Dozens of revelations followed, from the exposure of Baer's
internal tax avoidance plan to the Cayman Islands trust for the
Caryle group revealed on Dec 1.
According to Reuters the bank has lost some 60% of its share price
during 2008, although this puts it ahead of many in the current
financial crisis.
See
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Category:Bank_Julius_Baer
Jonathan H. Levy
