6.4 Phase 4 (1.3. — 31.3.2008) — Media interest subsides 
On Saturday, / March, the media report that Peer Steinbrück sees the acquisition of the data 
as the "deal of his life". This statement was made in an interview with Steinbrück in the 
Frankfurter Rundschau published on 1.3. (pp. 6f). At the same time, it is reported that 
proceedings may be initiated against the LLB blackmailers in Rostock. The headline of the 
Süddeutsche Zeitung says that there were "several whistleblowers in Liechtenstein". 
Information and articles in this regard are published in the coming days as well. In the 
afternoon, agencies disseminate the report that investigations have commenced in Italy on the 
basis of the "tax file". 
The Sunday press on 2 March deals with the moral aspects of the "tax affair" ("In re Z.: The 
People v. Public Enemy", 2.3.2008, 11). 
SPIEGEL, Focus and Wirtschaftswoche focus primarily on the background of the "data theft" 
and report that LLB has recruited former German BKA officers to retrieve the stolen data. 
SPIEGEL also reports on Monday, 3 March, about alleged "nuclear millions" in 
Liechtenstein. Only the next day is the upcoming Ecofin meeting of EU finance ministers in 
Brussels discussed. According to the agencies, Steinbriick plans to tighten the EU Savings 
Directive (Reuters, dpa). Steinbriick wants to close "existing tax loopholes," a speaker of the 
Ministry of Finance says. 
On Tuesday, 4 March, the topic of Ecofin is taken up broadly by the media. "Useful affair" is 
the Handelsblatt headline (p. 10), while Die Welt summarizes that "stricter savings tax 
directives are the goal." German media report that the "tax affair" has reached Austria 
(Financial Times Deutschland, 4.3., 15). 
While the results of the Ecofin meeting on Wednesday, 5 March, are interpreted in different 
ways by the German media ("Steinbrück exerts pressure in Brussels", Bórsenzeitung, and 
"Fight against tax havens divides EU", Süddeutsche Zeitung), LGT's business figures are also 
reported on in detail. Strikingly, the coverage is predominantly balanced. In the morning of 
5.3., FAZ also prints an interview with Prince Max von und zu Liechtenstein, CEO of LGT. 
Around noon of 5.3., the IMF publishes its detailed report on Liechtenstein. According to the 
report, Liechtenstein is not combating illegal financial transactions effectively enough, as the 
agencies report. At the same time, French Minister of Finance Woerth calls for "retribution" 
against Liechtenstein in the media. 
The IMF report also dominates the headlines on Thursday, 6 March. The IMF "warns 
Liechtenstein," is the headline in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Along with an article on the mood 
in Liechtenstein in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the media this week increasingly also report on 
the continuing domestic policy discussions concerning "data theft" and "tax morality". 
The reporting on Friday, 7 March, is in contrast significantly less intensive. The Süddeutsche 
Zeitung reports on Liechtenstein's request for mutual legal assistance, and FAZ publishes a 
critical profile of Steinbrück. In the morning, however, the media focus on a report by the 
ARD magazine "Panorama", according to which German authorities had been offered more 
data (belonging to LLB). LLB denies the loss of a "DVD or list" (dpa). These reports are 
44