Financial Transparency Coalition

MIAMI - U.S. authorities requested a sharply reduced prison sentence on Tuesday for a key informant in their tax evasion prosecutions of wealthy American clients of Swiss bank UBS.

ZURICH (Reuters) - Details of a landmark settlement of the U.S. tax case against Swiss bank UBS are expected this week, which should help the bank restore its image and open the way for the Swiss state to sell its UBS stake.

Last week was not kind to tax evaders. Liechtenstein agreed an information-sharing treaty with the UK that, should it serve as a model for the principality’s deals with other countries, would put it out of the tax-haven business. The OECD recognised the Cayman and British Virgin Islands as having implemented the organisation’s tax standards. The US forced more names of suspected tax evaders out of Swiss bank UBS. The war on tax piracy is making progress.

The U.S. crackdown on clients of UBS AG is widening into a global hunt, with the government detailing in court documents how the Swiss bank and outside advisers helped Americans hide money using enterprises set up in Hong Kong.