Pressure grew on Liechtenstein yesterday to ease its bank secrecy rules in the wake of a German tax inquiry centred on the Alpine tax haven. Prosecutors in Germany stepped up raids on banks linked to the evasion investigation.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which co-ordinates global efforts to reduce tax haven secrecy, added its voice to calls by Angela Merkel, German chancellor, and the European Union for greater financial transparency. Angel Gurria, OECD secretary-general, said Liechtenstein's secrecy rules were a "relic of a different time".