Germany Questions Swiss Ambassador Over Espionage Allegations

(Bloomberg) -- Switzerland's ambassador was hauled into Germany's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday and requested to explain allegations of espionage by a Swiss national.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel asked that Swiss ambassador Christine Schraner Burgener be invited in the last-minute for talks Tuesday afternoon, during which she was asked to explain the allegations “in the interest of German-Swiss friendship,” according to an email from the foreign ministry.

Germany's federal prosecutor said in a website statement on April 28 that police arrested in Frankfurt a male suspected of spying for a “foreign power.” Fifty-four year-old “Daniel M.” is alleged to have spied on German government tax agents who were trying to buy compact discs containing information compiled by whistle-blowers listing German tax evaders with Swiss bank accounts, according to German media reports.

Daniel M. worked for the NDB Swiss secret service with the task of identifying the operatives, media reports said. The Federal Prosecutor said he is being held on charges of spying in Germany since 2012.

The suspect's Swiss attorney, Valentin Landmann, didn't respond to a phone query from Bloomberg.

--With assistance from Brian Parkin

To contact the reporter on this story: Carolynn Look in Frankfurt at clook4@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Gordon at pgordon6@bloomberg.net, James Kraus, Karin Matussek