Germany indicts Swiss man of espionage in tax evasion case

Authorities in Germany have formally indicted a Swiss citizen on suspicion of espionage for spying on German tax investigators.

Federal prosecutors say the 54-year-old man, identified only as Daniel M. due to German privacy rules, acted as an agent for Switzerland's intelligence service.

Prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday that M. was paid to obtain information on tax officials in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia between July 2011 and February 2015.

The state had purchased a stolen data CD containing details on German clients of Swiss banks, leading to numerous tax evasion cases.

Switzerland expressed outrage at the move by its northern neighbor, which followed leaks of similar data to American and French authorities.

M. was arrested in the German financial center of Frankfurt in April.