MPs have accused bosses of HSBC of being ‘ utterly incompetent ’ and ducking responsibility for the Swiss tax dodging scandal . Chris Meares , who ran HSBC ’ s global private banking arm between 2006 and 2011 , told the Public Accounts Committee he was not aware of alleged tax evasion taking place on his watch . Asked repeatedly whether he accepted personal responsibility for the scandal , he said he took responsibility for ‘ controls failings ’ which allowed the wrongdoing to occur . But he added : ‘ I do not take fairly direct responsibility for individual actions of people in Switzerland that I was unaware of . ' Scroll down for video . Chris Meares , who ran HSBC ’ s global private banking arm between 2006 and 2011 , told the Public Accounts Committee he was not aware of alleged tax evasion taking place on his watch . Chief executive Stuart Gulliver and HSBC board director Rona Fairhead also angered MPs by insisting they were oblivious to the wrongdoing in Switzerland , where staff allegedly helped wealthy clients including arms dealers and a blood diamond smuggler evade taxes between 2005 and 2007 . The committee ’ s chairman Margaret Hodge , a Labour MP , said : ‘ Nobody at the bank ... has deigned to accept responsibility for what was massive , illegal terrible tax evasion. ’ She added : ‘ Either you were incompetent , completely and utterly incompetent , in your oversight duties or you knew about it… I don ’ t believe you did not know. ’ Her fellow committee members also expressed disbelief that HSBC ’ s bosses in London were unaware of what was happening in Switzerland . Conservative MP David Burrows said : ‘ You are asking us to accept that Switzerland was off on a frolic on its own - that nobody in London knew what was going on ’ . He added : ‘ I can not believe that nobody knew the unlawful actions that were taking place in Switzerland , and if they didn ’ t know then they jolly well should have done . ‘ What we ’ ve essentially got is blind eye knowledge – holding the telescope to the blind eye so that you in London didn ’ t see what you suspected was going on in Switzerland. ’ Question time : MPs accused BBC Trust chairman Rona Fairhead as either being aware of wrongdoing or being 'utterly incompetent ' HSBC ’ s chairman Douglas Flint has already heaped blame on Mr Meares and his predecessor Clive Bannister , the son of four-minute mile legend Sir Roger Bannister , who now runs insurance company Phoenix . Mr Flint told the Treasury Select Committee last month that the two men ‘ certainly bear fairly direct responsibility ’ . Yesterday , Mr Meares - who is now chairman of fund manager Quilter Cheviot - rejected claims that he was being made the ‘ fall guy ’ by HSBC . But he was described as a ‘ wholly unreliable witness ’ by Conservative MP Stephen Hammond .
Former HSBC private banking boss said he was unaware of tax evasion . Chief executive Stuart Gulliver and Rona Fairhead also angered Switzerland . BBC Trust chairman was either 'incompetent ' or aware of wrongdoing .