Swiss federal prosecutors have launched criminal proceedings targeting the perpetrators of a 2022 leak of information on thousands of Credit Suisse accounts, they said on Friday.

The leak covered more than 18,000 accounts, including human rights abusers, fraudsters and businessmen subject to sanctions, thereby plunging Switzerland's biggest bank into a dirty money scandal.

The accounts, which were held from the 1940s to the 2010s, were leaked last February to Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which shared it with media organisations worldwide.

The identity of the person or organisation responsible for the leak remains unknown.

Prosecutors said the alleged offences in the case were violation of banking secrecy laws, damage caused to Credit Suisse and making confidential business information available to foreign organisations or their agents.

They took action after receiving a formal complaint.

Swiss daily Tagesanzeiger cited sources as saying the bank, which is working to revive its fortunes after a series of scandals and heavy losses, was the complainant.

Asked whether Credit Suisse had submitted the complaint, a spokeswoman said the bank did not comment on ongoing proceedings, U.S. News reports.