“There is always criminal energy behind it” – economy

Peer Steinbrück, as finance minister, once threatened Switzerland with cavalry if the country did not relax its banking secrecy. After the revelations of the Suisse Secrets, he calls for a debate on distributive justice.

SZ: Mr. Steinbrück, in 2009 you threatened Switzerland to let the seventh cavalry ride out if the Swiss didn’t relax their banking secrecy. Now, when you see that Credit Suisse was still holding accounts for dictators, war criminals, and torturers afterwards, shouldn’t you have just kept it to threats?