The Swiss government said on Wednesday that it was prepared to seize UBS client data rather than allow the bank to hand it over to the US to settle a tax case.

UBS has refused a demand from US authorities that it turn over the names of 52,000 American clients, arguing that to do so would be illegal under Swiss banking secrecy laws and would open it to prosecution at home. The US Justice Department in February sued UBS, saying it suspected the bank of helping wealthy Americans hide billions of dollars in secret offshore accounts. “Switzerland makes it perfectly clear that Swiss law prohibits UBS from complying with a possible order by the court in Miami to hand over the client information,” the Swiss Department of Justice and Police said on Wednesday.