2/10/2015
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- Bill and Hillary's foundation received large donations from seven people
- Some $50million allegedly came from Canadian mining boss Frank Giustra
- British fashion magnate Richard Caring also gave $1million in 2005
- Caring reportedly made donation so Clinton would go to party in Russia
- Former President was pictured in 2005 at fancy dress fundraiser
- Other donors include Michael Schumacher and French financier
- Accounts at controversial bank caught up in tax-dodging allegations
- There is no suggestion any Clinton donors used accounts to evade tax
Bill and Hillary Clinton's charitable foundation reportedly received as much as $81million from clients with accounts with at HSBC's Swiss bank in Geneva.
The contributions - including $1million in exchange for Bill attending a lavish fancy-dress party in Russia - come from wealthy clients who are protected by Switzerland's robust banking secrecy laws.
Details of 30,000 accounts have come to light after an enormous banking leak - which brought with it the names of seven donors to the charitable Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
Donor: Bill Clinton, center, received substantial contributions to his foundation from people with accounts at the secretive Swiss bank - such as Richard Caring, left, who paid $1million after Clinton dressed as a Russian general for a lavish fundraiser, pictured above
According to the Guardian, chief among the donors was Canadian mining magnate Frank Giustra, who reportedly handed over $50million to the presidential organisation.
Michael Schumacher, the racing driver seriously injured in a 2013 skiing accident, was listed as another donor, as was billionaire Eli Broad and French financier Arpad Busson.
Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who flew President Clinton round in his private jet, also gave tens of thousands of dollars, according to reports.
The most colorful Clinton anecdote from the leaked files, however, involves Richard Caring, a regular political donor in Britain, who paid out $1million to get Clinton to a costume party in Russia.
Caring is a British businessman who has large interests in fashion, property and fine dining, mostly in the United Kingdom. He is one of the richest men in the country.
Caring, whose dealings with HSBC's Swiss bank involve a much-scrutinized $3.4million cash withdrawal, gave the Clintons' foundation the large donation following his attendance at a ball in St Petersburg's Winter Palace in November 2005.
Clinton, dressed as a Russian general, was seen celebrating alongside Caring at the bash, which featured music by Tina Turner and Elton John.
Friends: Sir Philip Green, Richard Caring, his wife Jackie Caring and Bill Clinton at the 2005 bash
Clinton addressed the lavish event, which was attended by some 450 VIP guests. The donation to his foundation followed a month later.
The Guardian reports that HSBC’s notes contain an instruction to ‘transfer [$1m] to Bill Clinton’s Foundation as a contribution following his involvement in the charity function.’
Though Swiss accounts are often involved in tax-dodging scheme, there has been no evidence to suggest any of the Clinton foundation donors evaded tax.
A statement from the foundation said that all donations are carefully vetted. The Clintons and individual donors declined comment to the Guardian.
Caring did not comment on his Clinton donation. Speaking to the Daily Mail about the large cash withdrawal, he said: 'I appreciate it was a large amount of money but I was put in that position at the time because the people I was dealing with did not want to use HSBC in a particular transaction.
Spotlight: HSBC is facing scrutiny after a vast cache of Swiss bank account documents was leaked
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