LuxLeaks’ whistleblowers have sentences reduced, but appeal court upholds convictions
A Luxembourg appeals court today cut the sentences of two ex-PwC workers for playing a part in leaking data from the firm which revealed the ins and outs of the tax tricks used by hundreds of companies.
In a court ruling last June, Antoine Deltour was given a 12-month suspended sentence and a €1,500 (£1,305) fine and Raphael Halet was handed a nine-month suspended sentence and a €1,000 fine for their roles in the LuxLeaks data leak.
Deltour's suspended sentence was today reduced to six months while Halet's was wiped out entirely. However, the fines were maintained and the pair's convictions were upheld.
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Edouard Perrin, a journalist who used the data to make a broadcast, was acquitted, both in today's ruling and the previous one last June.
The information leaked by Deltour and Halet exposed how over 300 companies had used Luxembourg as a tax haven to cut their tax bills.
The data went on to be used by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in its Luxembourg Leaks project.
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Although Deltour's and Halet's sentences were cut, some campaigners view the fact that their convictions were upheld as a slap in the face for whistleblowing.
"The information revealed in the LuxLeaks scandal should never have been secret in the first place," said ActionAid head of advocacy, Charlie Matthews. "The EU and UK should make sure this never happens again by ensuring companies reveal how much tax they pay in every country where they operate."