HSBC scandal: Watch Stephen Green, former boss of HSBC, refuse to comment seven times

Now a peer in the House of Lords, the former trade minister led the bank during the period when it is alleged to have helped thousands of clients evade tax

Stephen Green refused to comment when questioned by Panorama

The former boss of HSBC repeatedly refused to answer a Panorama journalist’s questions concerning the management of clients’ funds by the bank he lead.

Stephen Green, now a peer sitting in the House of Lords, was approached in the street by a Panorama team for a programme investigating the bank.

Attempting to shrug off the reporter, Lord Green rebuffed questions seven times in an uncomfortable exchange.

“As I think I have explained, I am not going to make any comment,” he says.

Lord Green later adds: “I’m sorry but I am not prepared to give any comment about HSBC – you need to talk to HSBC.”

Panorama is among the media outlets – including the Guardian, Le Monde, Indian Express – that have seen a cache of thousands of documents leaked by a whistleblower in 2007.

The documents allegedly show that thousands of wealthy clients of HSBC, one of Britain’s largest banks, employed the bank to secrete their millions offshore.

HSBC has denied that its account holders evaded tax and said it was fully cooperating with authorities.

A spokesperson for the bank added: “We have taken significant steps over the past several years to implement reforms and exit clients who did not meet strict new HSBC standards.”

Lord Green, who served as a minister of trade and investment until 2013, was made a conservative peer in 2010 with the title Baron Green of Hurstpierpoint, of Hurstpierpoint in the County of West Sussex.