New Delhi: The names of at least six Indians figure in the list of unclaimed bank accounts or dormant accounts made public by Switzerland on Wednesday.
The list has over 2,600 accounts and safe deposit boxes and comprises only those accounts that has at least 500 Swiss francs and are unclaimed for at least 60 years. The value lying in the dormant accounts is estimated at 44 million Swiss franc (about Rs 300 crore).
The names are Bernet Rosmarie, Spencer Charlotte (German national) and Vachek Pierre (born January 1, 1908, bank account number 538452)—all with residences in Bombay (presently Mumbai), while Bahadur Chandra Singh is from Dehradun. A Dr Mohan Lal from Paris and one Kishore Lall also figure in the list.
The SBA allows the family members and legal heirs of these individuals to claim the accounts within one to five years and if no legitimate party claims the assets that have been published then the banks may transfer the assets in question to the government.
This is the first time that Switzerland has published such a list that is aimed at giving their owners’ heirs a chance to claim the funds in these accounts.
The list follows a new law in Switzerland that mandates publication of the names of the owners of very old dormant customer relationships on an annual basis starting 2015.
