Brazil probes HSBC Swiss accounts

SAO PAULO: Brazil’s tax watchdog opened a probe on whether about a dozen people involved in the Petrobras corruption scandal also allegedly had undeclared accounts with HSBC Holdings Plc’s private bank in Switzerland, two sources with knowledge of the situation said.

A former manager at the state-controlled oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA had an account at HSBC’s private Swiss bank, said the first source, who requested anonymity since the probe has not been made public. Others include an illegal money changer and two executives from engineering and oil equipment firms that had contracts with the firm, which is known as Petrobras, the same source added.