Herve Falciani, the former HSBC employee whose disclosures uncorked the "Swissleaks" scandal on bank-supported tax evasion, was sentenced in absentia on Friday to five years in prison, Switzerland's ATS news agency said.

Falciani, who worked as an IT specialist with HSBC, had been charged in the southern Swiss town of Bellinzona with industrial espionage, data theft and violating Switzerland's long-cherished banking secrecy laws.