WashingtonThe former UBS banker who went to prison after telling the Internal Revenue Service how the bank helped thousands of Americans evade taxes, has secured a whistleblower award of $104 million, the largest individual federal payout in US history.

Bradley Birkenfeld told authorities how UBS bankers came to the US to woo rich Americans, managed $20 billion of their assets and helped them cheat the IRS. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2008, a year after reporting the bank’s conduct to the justice department, the US Senate, IRS and Securities and Exchange Commission. He left prison on August 1st.

Lawyer said at a news conference in Washington that he was seeking a presidential pardon for Mr Birkenfeld, who is under home confinement. – (Bloomberg)