Swiss 'WikiLeaks banker' to be held for 10 days

GENEVA: A court in Switzerland has ordered a former Julius Baer banker detained for 10 days while authorities probe whether he handed secret account details to WikiLeaks.

Prosecutors are investigating whether Rudolf Elmer broke Swiss banking secrecy laws when he gave two data CDs to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at a Jan. 17 event in London.

Elmer says the CDs contain details of rich individuals who use offshore accounts to avoid paying tax. WikiLeaks has said it will examine the data before publishing any of it.

A Zurich court found Elmer guilty Wednesday of coercion and breaking bank secrecy laws in an earlier case. He was given a fine of more than 6,000 Swiss francs ($6,260), payable if he offends again in the next two years.