Deutsche Bank Turns Sides, Becomes Rat For The Lie-bor Prosecution

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/15/2012 13:05 -0400


Escalation. The inevitable collapse of the Prisoner's Dilemma that kept the LIBOR contributors together is occurring rapidly. After Barclays' forced admission and initial fine, the 'he-who-defects-first-wins' strategy has been trumped by Deutsche Bank as they turn all 'Donnie Brasco' on their oligopolistic peers. As Reuters reports this morning "The bank last year obtained the status of being a witness for the prosecution in the EU and in Switzerland," and "as a result of that, the bank could get a lighter penalty if a punishment is imposed," though of course this does not mean they are admitting guilt (sigh). Under the leniency programs of the EU, companies may get total immunity from fines or a reduction of fines which the anti-trust authorities would have otherwise imposed on them if they hand over evidence on anti-competitive agreements or those involved in a concerted practice. How quickly the worm turns when trust leaves the system - the warning the rest of the Liebor contributors - be afraid, be very afraid.