Madoff et la Coup de Grâce

collage by marguerita

L’Affaire Madoff, as it has become known here and in Geneva, has cast an unwanted spotlight onto the normally shadowy world of private bankers in Switzerland and other cozy hiding places of offshore wealth, like the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg.On Tuesday, as many Swiss bankers prepared to head for the slopes for vacation until after New Year’s, a Christmas tree glimmered beside the gold colored entrance to UBP, where visitors are greeted in a reception area of black marble, red leather benches and a large golden globe.Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, 65, chief executive of Access International Advisors, was pronounced dead at his Manhattan office, with cuts on both arms and wrists, and a box-cutter and pills nearby, police said.Madoff Dealings Tarnish a Private Swiss Bank - NYTimes.com

"I think it's terrible he did that to his wife, killing himself over money," said their neighbor, Ronald Zezima- New York Post