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ABUSE OF STRUCTURED FINANCIAL PRODUCTS- Misusing Basket Options to Avoid Taxes and Leverage Limits MAJORITY AND MINORITY STAFF REPORT

ABUSE OF STRUCTURED FINANCIAL PRODUCTS- Misusing Basket Options to Avoid Taxes and Leverage Limits MAJORITY AND MINORITY STAFF REPORT

ABUSE OF STRUCTURED FINANCIAL PRODUCTS- Misusing Basket Options to Avoid Taxes and Leverage Limits MAJORITY AND MINORITY STAFF REPORT

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27<br />

Jürgen Fitschen <strong>and</strong> Anshu Jain are the current co-Chief Executive Officers of Deutsche<br />

Bank <strong>and</strong> were appointed <strong>to</strong> those positions in 2011. 108 Mr. Jain was previously head of<br />

Deutsche Bank’s investment banking group. 109 In the United States, Jacques Br<strong>and</strong> has been the<br />

Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank in North America since 2012. 110 He was previously<br />

the Global Head of Investment Banking Coverage & Advisory in Deutsche Bank’s Corporate<br />

Banking & Securities division. 111<br />

Deutsche Bank Non-Prosecution Agreement. About ten years ago, Deutsche Bank<br />

became the subject of a series of investigations focused on its participation in abusive tax<br />

shelters from 1996 through 2002, which aided <strong>and</strong> abetted evasion of an estimated $5.9 billion in<br />

U.S. income taxes. 112 On December 21, 2010, Deutsche Bank <strong>and</strong> the U.S. At<strong>to</strong>rney for the<br />

Southern District of New York executed a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) related <strong>to</strong> the<br />

bank’s involvement with the abusive tax shelters. 113 Under the agreement, the bank paid more<br />

than $550 million <strong>to</strong> the United States, 114 <strong>and</strong> the U.S. At<strong>to</strong>rney <strong>and</strong> the U.S. Department of<br />

Justice (DOJ) agreed not <strong>to</strong> prosecute Deutsche Bank criminally for participating in abusive tax<br />

shelters benefiting its clients from 1997 <strong>to</strong> 2005, provided the bank meet certain requirements. 115<br />

Those requirements included Deutsche Bank’s continued cooperation with the DOJ in its<br />

tax shelter prosecutions, <strong>and</strong> appointment of an independent expert <strong>to</strong> oversee bank reforms <strong>to</strong><br />

ensure the bank s<strong>to</strong>pped participating in transactions used <strong>to</strong> defraud the IRS. 116 The NPA also<br />

banned Deutsche Bank's involvement with any pre-packaged tax products, which were the type<br />

of tax shelters that led <strong>to</strong> the criminal proceedings. 117 Bart Schwartz was selected <strong>to</strong> serve as the<br />

independent expert <strong>to</strong> moni<strong>to</strong>r Deutsche Bank’s actions. 118 In that position, Mr. Schwartz was<br />

responsible for evaluating the implementation <strong>and</strong> effectiveness of the bank’s compliance<br />

108 “Deutsche Bank Names Co-C.E.O.’s <strong>to</strong> Succeed Ackermann,” The New York Times, Jack Ewing (7/25/2011),<br />

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/deutsche-bank-taps-co-ceos-<strong>to</strong>-replace-ackermann/.<br />

109 Id.<br />

110 11/1/2012 “Deutsche Bank appoints Jacques Br<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Bill Woodley as CEO <strong>and</strong> Deputy CEO of North<br />

America,” prepared by Deutsche Bank, https://www.db.com/medien/en/content/3862_4221.htm.<br />

111 Id.<br />

112 12/21/2010 letter from Preet Bharara, United States At<strong>to</strong>rney, <strong>to</strong> Deutsche Bank’s outside counsel, “Deutsche<br />

Bank AG – Non-Prosecution Agreement,” at 1,<br />

http://www.gibsondunn.com/publications/Documents/DeutscheNPA.pdf. See also “U.S Tax Shelter Industry: The<br />

Role of Accountants, Lawyers, <strong>and</strong> Financial Professionals,” U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on<br />

Investigations, S. Hrg. 108-473 (Nov. 18 <strong>and</strong> 20, 2003).<br />

113 12/21/2010 letter from Preet Bharara, United States At<strong>to</strong>rney, <strong>to</strong> Deutsche Bank’s outside counsel, “Deutsche<br />

Bank AG – Non-Prosecution Agreement,” at 1,<br />

http://www.gibsondunn.com/publications/Documents/DeutscheNPA.pdf.<br />

114 The $553,633,153 payment represented the fees Deutsche Bank earned from its participation in the tax shelter<br />

activity, the amount of taxes <strong>and</strong> interest the IRS was unable <strong>to</strong> collect from the taxpayers because of Deutsche<br />

Bank’s activity, <strong>and</strong> a civil penalty of more than $149 million. 12/21/2010 “Deutsche Bank <strong>to</strong> Pay More Than $550<br />

Million <strong>to</strong> Resolve Federal Tax Shelter Fraud Investigation,” U.S. At<strong>to</strong>rney for the Southern District of New York<br />

Press Release, at 1, http://www.justice.gov/tax/usaopress/2010/deutschebankpr.pdf.<br />

115 12/21/2010 letter from Preet Bharara, United States At<strong>to</strong>rney, <strong>to</strong> Deutsche Bank’s outside counsel, “Deutsche<br />

Bank AG – Non-Prosecution Agreement,” at 1-6,<br />

http://www.gibsondunn.com/publications/Documents/DeutscheNPA.pdf.<br />

116 12/21/2010 “Deutsche Bank <strong>to</strong> Pay More Than $550 Million <strong>to</strong> Resolve Federal Tax Shelter Fraud<br />

Investigation,” U.S. At<strong>to</strong>rney for the Southern District of New York Press Release, at 1,<br />

http://www.justice.gov/tax/usaopress/2010/deutschebankpr.pdf.<br />

117 Id.<br />

118 Id. at 2.

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