Margrethe Vestager won’t testify in LuxLeaks trial

Commissioner says the information released was ‘interesting.’

LUXEMBOURG — Margrethe Vestager, the European commissioner for competition, turned down an invitation to testify in the trial of three men charged with leaking documents that exposed controversial corporate tax deals, but said their actions have helped provide an “interesting source of market information.”

Click Here: cheap warriors rugby jersey

Arguments began Tuesday in the so-called “LuxLeaks” trial, with prosecutors saying that two former employees of audit firm PwC had illegally stolen confidential information and provided it to a French journalist. Thousands of documents were eventually made public and revealed sweetheart tax deals given by Luxembourg to several multinational firms.

The defendants have claimed “whistleblower” status, and the release of documents has become a cause célèbre for proponents of tighter rules on tax compliance.

Defense attorneys had hoped that Vestager would be able to discuss the impact of the leaks. She has been conducting a European Commission investigation into whether Luxembourg’s special tax deals with certain corporations constitute illegal state aid.

According to a Commission spokesman, Vestager declined the invitation but said in her response that “the LuxLeaks files have given access to a remarkable quantity of tax rulings and constitute an interesting source of market information.”