The Swiss Banking Association has apologised for its chairman's remarks that crackdown of tax evaders by Germany's BND intelligence agency was "a little reminiscent of the methods of the Gestapo".

The association said Pierre Mirabaud, "regretted the impression that could have been conveyed" by comments in French during a Swiss television interview.

'He only meant to express his uneasiness about such methods being used by intelligence services against friendly states,' the association said.

His remarks follow the Liechtenstein tax probe in which Germany's foreign intelligence agency paid £3.2m for information about more than 700 German clients of Liechtenstein's LGT bank in early 2006. The information was then passed to the tax authorities who used it to prosecute suspected tax evaders.

Further reading:

Liechtenstein tax haven rules under fire

Liechtenstein urged to open tax books