Falciani, the moment of truth?

News Mondays - Nicolas Jutzet

Hervé Falciani, former HSBC bank computer expert, whom you probably know in connection with the «Swissleaks»is at it again. This week, you may have read that he had been arrested in Madrid at Switzerland's request. The latter subsequently confirmed that it was seeking his extradition. Shortly afterwards, the Spanish courts decided to release him, subject to judicial supervision. He was left with one less passport and a ban on leaving the country.

The false hero - a character of many shades

There's nothing simple about this story. After making him out to be a venerable hero, even the most conciliatory press had to admit that behind the Don Juan in the service of the so-called «common good» lay a convoluted man with an astonishing background, to say the least. All too quickly put on a pedestal, we learned that the so-called «whistle-blower» was in reality a simple delinquent wishing to protect himself by reselling data that he had stolen from his ex-employer. Bad form.

Hervé Falciani is associated with whistleblowers who, like the respected Edward Snowden, have fought to bring scandals to light. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here, we're dealing with a laughable villain who deserves at best the label of ingenious thief. No one is a hero when he struggles to denounce individuals to the tax authorities of various countries greedy for citizens' money. Or even worse, when he does so after failing miserably to sell his information. Akin to the Ministry of Truth, caricatured by George Orwell in his famous novel, 1984, His own attempt to rewrite his own history, assuming the right role for himself, leaves us wondering about his intentions.

The end seems to justify the means, even if it means betraying, everywhere, all the time. Robin Hood didn't fight for the state, but against it. No one is a hero when he fights against the privacy of a bank's customers by stealing data that he will then try to sell, and then, following his failure, reveal to the tax authorities. No, Mr. Falciani is by no means a brave gentleman, fighting with class and tradition, like a musketeer - on the contrary. Fighting with the strong, against the smallest minority, the individual, symbolized here by HSBC's clients, while trying to enrich himself in the process, makes him an audacious fool.

What if courage meant facing up to your past? 

Let's hope that Switzerland, after repeatedly lacking bite in this affair, can now rely on a real three-stripe billiards strategy. It will be able to take advantage of the well-placed interests of Spain, which, entangled in its internal politics, now sees Falciani as a possible bargaining chip with Switzerland, which lets various Catalan dissidents pass through its territory. The irony is that the poor sourpuss, now useless, has become a mere diplomatic rattle for the politicians who yesterday swore by him. The crank returns, between gentlemen.

The time for justice has come. Hervé Falciani must quickly come here to serve his sentence. Sentenced in absentia to five years' imprisonment, a symbol of his cowardice, the proud Hervé declared at the time that he had no confidence in Swiss justice. Let's bet that he will now have the honor of coming to appreciate the quality of our prison system. And he will come away with a new conviction: you can't trust the politicians who yesterday assured him of their support. A problem of appreciation? He'll have time to think about it!

Write to the author: nicolas.jutzet@leregardlibre.com

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