HSBC whistleblower Falciani sentenced to five years in prison

(Reuters) - Herve Falciani, an ex-employee of HSBC's Geneva private bank who leaked information on clients and their tax situation, has been sentenced to five years in prison for aggravated industrial espionage, the bank said on Friday. HSBC said it welcomed the ruling on Falciani, a 43-year old French citizen who had been on trial in Switzerland. HSBC's Swiss unit has been in the spotlight since 2008, when Falciani, a former IT employee there, fled Geneva with files that were leaked to the medi