“The German government has signalled it intends to purchase a CD containing information about tax evaders with Swiss bank accounts [...] German Chancellor Angela Merkel [...] was adamant that the CD was worth the risk. “Everything should be done to get this data,” she said. “If this data is relevant, it must be our objective to acquire it,” she said.

The CD in question is believed to contain sensitive data relating to the bank accounts of about 1,500 German citizens who have allegedly stashed their money in Switzerland in a bid to avoid paying tax in Germany. An informant offered the CD to the German tax authorities some time ago for an asking price of €2.5 million ($3.5 million). Although the chancellor has so far been unwilling to commit herself to the deal, she sounded determined at the press conference. She wants the CD, even if the price is high — and not just financially.

The chancellor has effectively given her blessing to German authorities accepting the indecent proposal. She called Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and informed him that he has her support “in bringing about a solution,” according to an official government statement issued on Monday.

Schäuble, for his part, points out that the current case is similar to another case that involved the purchase of stolen data relating to accounts in Liechtenstein which made headlines two years ago. [...] In 2007, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, paid a thief about €5 million for stolen data that included evidence of tax evasion by German citizens in the tiny Alpine principality of Liechtenstein.” http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,675371,00.html