Wednesday March 26, 06:39 PM
Italy, France launch probes into Liechtenstein tax dodges: reports
ROME (AFP) - Italian authorities are investigating 390 suspects in connection with the tax probe sparked by the leaking of a list of account holders in Liechtenstein banks, news agencies reported Wednesday.
French Budget Minister Eric Woerth for his part said his country will investigate 20 people on suspicion of similar tax evasion, with possibly many more to follow.
The RadioCor agency said the Italian probe centred on 388 individuals and two companies alleged to have submitted "erroneous" or incomplete tax returns.
According to Italian media, most of the suspects on the list are businessmen, but they also include politicians, among them a senator and a member of the European parliament.
The sums deposited in the Liechtenstein accounts range from 200,000 euros (315,000 dollars) to 400 million euros, ANSA news agency reported.
Liechtenstein, a tiny principality wedged between Austria and Switzerland, is under pressure from Germany and other countries over suspicions of mass tax evasion through accounts in the country.
The German government last month said it paid an informer for bank data that led to the biggest tax fraud probe ever in Germany and sparked similar investigations around the globe.
Austria, Australia, Britain, Canada, Greece, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and the United States have also launched investigations into their citizens' investments in Liechtenstein.
In Paris, Woerth said French nationals are known to have transferred a total of one billion euros (1.6 billion dollars) to accounts there.
He said there would be a "second wave" of inspections -- concerning some 200 people, or 64 families, named on a list received in late 2007 -- "once we have firmer elements to launch it".
In Italy, politicians have seized on the issue ahead of next month's elections, with the left demanding the publication of the names of politicians involved. Right-wing politicians want all of the names made public.
Political parties have also debated whether to exclude potential candidates if they are being prosecuted.
Centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi, who has been criticised for not doing enough to fight tax fraud when he was prime minister, recently denounced "scandalous" income declarations from the wealthy, though he did not cite names.
Berlusconi is one of Italy's richest men. He declared revenues of 139.24 million euros (nearly 220 million dollars) in 2006, according to lawmakers' tax records made public earlier this month.
A court trying Berlusconi for tax fraud in November (Frankfurt: A0S9N7 - news) in an unrelated case threw out false accounting charges, citing the statute of limitations.
Tax fraud amounted to 115 billion euros last year in Italy.
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