'Falciani should share info sans pre-conditions'

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that Herve Falciani, former HSBC Bank employee-turned-whistleblower, should share information with the government about “illicit funds” flowing out of India without putting any pre-condition.

“We would want him to give us details without any pre-condition. We will take action,” he said at a press conference here, when asked for his comment on Falciani’s statement that he would share information with the government of India on illicit funds, provided he is given “protection”.

Jaitley said the Indian authorities had met Falciani and even offered to give him a “reward” if he shared information. “We had a meeting with HSBC representative also. Our representative went to meet him and even offered a reward if he shares information,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the Supreme Court to deal with the issue of black money, said India was prepared to give Falciani and other whistleblowers “full cooperation,” if they part with the information they have about any illicit fund flow from India.

It, however, lamented that Falciani had only created a “hue and cry” of the matter, rejecting the HSBC whistleblower’s claim that Indian authorities are not using a “lot of information” on illicit funds.

“One should tell him to give the information. We are waiting for the information. He is not giving a reply. He has created a wrong hue and cry. We want to tell him to give it (information) to SIT or to the government or to a journalist. Please, you (Falciani) share it in the interest of the country,” a news agency quoted SIT chief M B Shah as saying.

Falciani, who is facing charges in Switzerland for leaking details of bank account holders in Geneva branch of HSBC, on Monday claimed that “millions of crores worth illicit funds” were flowing out of India and he was willing to share information about it with Indian authorities.

“We need protection,” he, however, demanded, while addressing media persons here through Skype.