Brussels (dpa) - Belgian authorities have charged the Swiss banking giant UBS with involvement in money laundering, serious and organized tax fraud and other criminal activities, prosecutors said Friday.UBS has faced legal troubles in several countries for allegedly aiding tax evaders and committing other financial malpractice, and has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in the United States and Germany to settle tax cases."The Swiss bank is suspected of having canvassed Belgian clients directly (without going through its Belgian subsidiary) in order to encourage them to enroll in tax evasion mechanisms," the Belgian crown prosecution said in a statement issued Friday.The investigative judge also charged UBS with illegally providing its services as a financial intermediary in Belgium.The inquiry is being carried out under the auspices of the federal police in Brussels, the statement said, adding that they were cooperating with the French authorities.In June 2014, Belgian authorities brought criminal charges against Marcel Bruehwiler, the Swiss chief executive of UBS Belgium. He was charged with money laundering, fiscal fraud, participation in a criminal organization and illegal financial practices.
