Massive data leak released: Panama Papers - The secret offshore world of the global e

[Mystic Wanderer]

Millions of documents show heads of state, criminals and celebrities using secret hideaways in tax havens. A massive leak of documents exposes the offshore holdings of 12 current and former world leaders and reveals how associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly shuffled as much as $2 billion through banks and shadow companies. The leak also provides details of the hidden financial dealings of 128 more politicians and public officials around the world. The cache of 11.5 million records shows how a global industry of law firms and big banks sells financial secrecy to politicians, fraudsters and drug traffickers as well as billionaires, celebrities and sports stars. These are among the findings of a year-long investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists including The Irish Times, German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and more than 100 other news organisations.

Stories of Irish interest arising from this investigation will be published by The Irish Times over the coming days. Included in the leaked documents are sales promotion agreements an Irish-registered company with an address in Drumcondra, Dublin, has signed in relation to arms and other deals in India, the Philippines and elsewhere, often involving commission-sharing deals with offshore companies. The files expose offshore companies controlled by the prime ministers of Iceland and Pakistan, the king of Saudi Arabia and the children of the president of Azerbaijan. They also include at least 33 people and companies blacklisted by the US government because of evidence that they’ve done business with Mexican drug lords, terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah or rogue states like North Korea and Iran.

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