Govt to look into Swiss banks' refusal to share details

The government today said it would look into the refusal by Swiss banks to share details about money parked by Indians, but faced opposition charges of not “properly” pursuing efforts to unearth the illegal money stashed in Switzerland.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also wanted the UPA government to mount diplomatic pressure on Switzerland to get the details, while the Congress said the government was doing all it could under its jurisdiction to get the black money out, as it was an issue of public interest and concerned the common man.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said he had taken note of media reports about reservations Swiss banks had in sharing client details with India and he would look into the matter. “I have read in the newspapers,” Mukherjee told reporters.

BJP President Rajnath Singh said the government should build up diplomatic pressure on Switzerland so that the black money could be “exposed”.