France says HSBC should stand trial for tax fraud: probe source

Paris (AFP) – A French prosecutor has called for British banking giant HSBC Holdings PLC to stand trial for aiding large-scale tax fraud in France, a source close to the investigation said Thursday.

If the case goes to trial, HSBC would face charges that its Private Banking unit offered its customers several ways of hiding assets from the French taxman, notably via the use of offshore tax havens.