Credit Suisse embroiled in racism storm

CREDIT SUISSE has been dragged into a racism row after its chairman held a party where his friends dressed up and danced in afro wigs.

The bash to celebrate Urs Rohner’s 60th birthday, at a Zurich restaurant last November, also featured a black entertainer dressed as a cleaner who sang as he swept the floor.

The bank said: ‘We are sorry for any offence caused.’

There was just one black guest at the party, guests told the New York Times newspaper – Credit Suisse’s then-boss Tidjane Thiam ( pictured). as the janitor-styled singer took to the stage, Thiam excused himself and left the room with his partner in disgust.

Emma Walmsley, the boss of British drugs giant Glaxosmithkline where Rohner is a non-executive director, was at Thiam’s table and followed suit. But they were appalled once more when they returned, as a group of Rohner’s friends performed a musical number dressed in afro wigs.

Credit Suisse said the party was not organised by the bank or Rohner, who clashed with Thiam over a spying scandal.

It added that it had implemented ‘a number of initiatives to improve ethnic diversity across the bank’.

Thiam, 58, who was born in the Ivory Coast, was ousted from Credit Suisse this year when it emerged that two former employees had been put under surveillance.

He denied any knowledge of the espionage, and an investigation did not find any involvement on his part.

But trust between him and Rohner deteriorated and Thiam resigned in February after five years at the helm of the Swiss banking giant.

Thiam’s spat with Iqbal Khan, the victim of the spying scandal, sowed the seeds of his eventual downfall.

Khan and Thiam publicly locked horns at a party in 2019 over work carried out at Khan’s home, which was next door to Thiam’s.

Khan left months later, but Pierre- Olivier Bouee, Credit Suisse’s chief operating officer and Thiam’s closest confidant, feared Khan would poach staff and employed a firm to track him and record who he met.

Bouee was fired over the affair as was head of security Remo Boccali.