A Swiss banker has lodged a case with the European Court of Human Rights against Switzerland's rules on bank secrecy.

Rudolf Elmer, a former manager with Julius Baer, the private Swiss bank, told reporters in Berlin the country's banking law permits finance institutions to cover up their "criminal support for white collar crime" such as tax evasion, and allows witnesses in legal cases to remain anonymous if bank secrecy is at risk. These factors mean "fair trials are not possible under the law".