By Steven Scheer
JERUSALEM, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Israel's tax authority, lookingto crack down on unreported capital, said on Monday it hasreceived a list from French authorities of more than 8,000Israeli customers that held bank accounts at the Swiss arm ofHSBC.
HSBC early last year acknowledged "past compliance andcontrol failures" that may have allowed some customers to evadetaxes.
Since February 2015, Israel's tax authority had been workingto obtain the list of Israelis with accounts at HSBCSwitzerland.
Having a Swiss bank account is not illegal in Israel as longas it is reported to authorities and taxes are paid. The taxauthority said that it will spend the next few months examiningthe list of Swiss HSBC accounts and compare it with theauthority's records.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists(ICIJ), which had coordinated the release of leaked data fromHSBC in Switzerland, initially reported that Israel ranked sixthamong 203 countries whose citizens were customers, with 6,554Israelis holding accounts worth $10 billion.
"Getting the list is one of the most significant outcomes ofthe fight against undeclared capital and it joins thelegislative moves and other measures to obtain information onbank accounts and assets held by Israelis abroad," said MosheAsher, head of the Israel Tax Authority.
The authority has offered immunity from criminal prosecutionby anyone who comes forward to report an account abroad. It hasso far received 5,360 requests worth 18.6 billion shekels ($5billion).
Asher called on those Israelis who have not yet reportedcapital to do so now. Those applying for amnesty are stillliable for back taxes and penalties.
Israeli newspapers had reported that among the Israelis onthe list were bank owners and directors, diamond and real estatemoguls, retired military officers, public and private companyheads, well-known lawyers, a "popular" TV presenter, artists,soccer players, sports agents, a retired judge and a formerprosecutor.
The tax authority previously arrested 32 people over secretaccounts worth tens of millions of dollars held at UBS inSwitzerland.
($1 = 3.8059 shekels) (Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Ari Rabinovitch)