MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's High Court is to question seven former HSBC (L:HSBA) executives as part of a probe triggered by leaks of tax information from HSBC's (L:HSBA) Swiss private bank, according to a ruling published on Thursday.
The court said that it had extended an investigation into alleged tax fraud and money laundering linked to HSBC, Banco Santander (MC:SAN) and BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP). On Wednesday it said it would investigate seven current and former Santander bankers.
HSBC declined to comment.
The Spanish investigation is one of many by national tax authorities as a result of the leak in 2008 of client data belonging to HSBC's private bank by Herve Falciani, a former IT employee at the bank. France, Austria, Belgium and Argentina have launched their own investigations.