Deranged Rhino Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 This is a huge story that just broke this weekend, and once again comes courtesy of an inside source leaking a treasure trove of documents detailing the ways in which some of the world's most powerful have worked hand in hand with Panamanian law firm to launder illicit funds. Lots of names are swept up in this, including Putin, but it's the sheer scope of this malfeasence which is staggering. Big names and companies from big pharma, big banking, to FIFA, athletes and even actors. I was tempted to put this in the Unaoil thread, as this is all related, but it's too big of a story to fold into that chain: ABOUT THE PANAMA PAPERS: Over a year ago, an anonymous source contacted the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and submitted encrypted internal documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm that sells anonymous offshore companies around the world. These shell firms enable their owners to cover up their business dealings, no matter how shady. In the months that followed, the number of documents continued to grow far beyond the original leak. Ultimately, SZ acquired about 2.6 terabytes of data, making the leak the biggest that journalists had ever worked with. The source wanted neither financial compensation nor anything else in return, apart from a few security measures. The data provides rare insights into a world that can only exist in the shadows. It proves how a global industry led by major banks, legal firms, and asset management companies secretly manages the estates of the world’s rich and famous: from politicians, Fifa officials, fraudsters and drug smugglers, to celebrities and professional athletes. http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.de/articles/56febff0a1bb8d3c3495adf4/ More: Revealed -- the $2bn offshore trail that leads to Putin http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/panama-papers-money-hidden-offshore More: Iceland's PM calls for snap elections after offshore revelations http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/iceland-pm-calls-snap-election-offshore-revelations More to come, this will be a major story for the coming months. More: Corporate Media Gatekeepers protect Western 1% from Panama leak "Whoever leaked the Mossack Fonseca papers appears motivated by a genuine desire to expose the system that enables the ultra wealthy to hide their massive stashes, often corruptly obtained and all involved in tax avoidance. These Panamanian lawyers hide the wealth of a significant proportion of the 1%, and the massive leak of their documents ought to be a wonderful thing. Unfortunately the leaker has made the dreadful mistake of turning to the western corporate media to publicise the results. In consequence the first major story, published today by the Guardian, is all about Vladimir Putin and a cellist on the fiddle. As it happens I believe the story and have no doubt Putin is bent. But why focus on Russia? Russian wealth is only a tiny minority of the money hidden away with the aid of Mossack Fonseca. In fact, it soon becomes obvious that the selective reporting is going to stink." https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2016/04/corporate-media-gatekeepers-protect-western-1-from-panama-leak/ Seeing a pattern yet? More: https://twitter.com/GrayInGlasgow/status/716737341440790528 Countries with public officials implicated in #PanamaPapers tax haven scandal in its 1st 5 hours More: RT was out in front of this story doing damage control before the news broke -- (3/28) Kremlin warns of planned information attack on Putin Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said that Western mass media intends to launch a new slander attack on Vladimir Putin and expressed regret that reporters’ professionalism is often “sacrificed to political demands.” According to Peskov, the fresh set of false reports made with intent to harm the president’s reputation will be released in the nearest future. He said the presidential administration received letters with requests to comment on more unfounded allegations. He went on to blame “certain public groups, NGOs, Western special services and certain mass media outlets” for attempts to destabilize the situation in Russia ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections by attempting to discredit senior officials and above all, Putin. https://www.rt.com/politics/337450-putins-spokesman-warns-of-fresh/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome#.VvlNz3X5UhA.twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 MORE: Scoreboard -- well over half a day into the reporting now and there's zero mention of this story on any major American media outlets. Abby Wombach's story is the headline on nearly every page (cnn, msnbc, nbc, abc, fox news). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 No one should be outraged by this, with the clear exception of Mossack Fonseca and their clients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 (edited) Where is ther mention of Hillary and her shakedown unit, the Clinton Foundation? Edited April 3, 2016 by Wacka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 It's not illegal to have a third party manage overseas accounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 Where is ther mention of Hillary and her shakedown unit, the Clinton Foundation? More names are coming, no idea if they're involved but it wouldn't surprise me. More: Panama Papers: Mossack Fonseca leak reveals elite's tax havens Eleven million documents were leaked from one of the world's most secretive companies, Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. They show how Mossack Fonseca has helped clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax. The company says it has operated beyond reproach for 40 years and has never been charged with criminal wrong-doing. The documents show links to 72 current or former heads of state in the data, including dictators accused of looting their own countries. Gerard Ryle, director of the ICIJ, said the documents covered the day-to-day business at Mossack Fonseca over the past 40 years. "I think the leak will prove to be probably the biggest blow the offshore world has ever taken because of the extent of the documents," he said. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-35918844 It's not illegal to have a third party manage overseas accounts. Money laundering is, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 More names are coming, no idea if they're involved but it wouldn't surprise me. With all the money that funnels through the Clinton Foundation, it would be more suspicious if they weren't somewhere in this story. Even if it's just an innocuous arm's-length "the Foundation gave money to someone who had an overseas account." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 With all the money that funnels through the Clinton Foundation, it would be more suspicious if they weren't somewhere in this story. Even if it's just an innocuous arm's-length "the Foundation gave money to someone who had an overseas account." Agreed. We'll see how it all shakes out over the coming days. I'm personally amused by Jackie Chan's inclusion in most of these stories. "The scandal includes Putin! Satin! And... Jackie Chan!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 Agreed. We'll see how it all shakes out over the coming days. I'm personally amused by Jackie Chan's inclusion in most of these stories. "The scandal includes Putin! Satin! And... Jackie Chan!" Good for him. Jackie needs the press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 (edited) More: Mossack Fonseca's Response -- https://panamapapers.icij.org/blog/20160403-mossack-fonseca-response-icij.html More: Giant Leak of Offshore Financial Records Exposes Global Array of Crime and Corruption They also include at least 33 people and companies blacklisted by the U.S. government because of evidence that they’d been involved in wrongdoing, such as doing business with Mexican drug lords, terrorist organizations like Hezbollah or rogue nations like North Korea and Iran. One of those companies supplied fuel for the aircraft that the Syrian government used to bomb and kill thousands of its own citizens, U.S. authorities have charged. “These findings show how deeply ingrained harmful practices and criminality are in the offshore world,” said Gabriel Zucman, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley and author of “The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens.” Zucman, who was briefed on the media partners’ investigation, said the release of the leaked documents should prompt governments to seek “concrete sanctions” against jurisdictions and institutions that peddle offshore secrecy. (snip) Most of the services the offshore industry provides are legal if used by the law abiding. But the documents show that banks, law firms and other offshore players have often failed to follow legal requirements that they make sure their clients are not involved in criminal enterprises, tax dodging or political corruption. In some instances, the files show, offshore middlemen have protected themselves and their clients by concealing suspect transactions or manipulating official records. The documents make it clear that major banks are big drivers behind the creation of hard-to-trace companies in the British Virgin Islands, Panama and other offshore havens. The files list nearly 15,600 paper companies that banks set up for clients who want keep their finances under wraps, including thousands created by international giants UBS and HSBC. The records reveal a pattern of covert maneuvers by banks, companies and people tied to Russian leader Putin. The records show offshore companies linked to this network moving money in transactions as large as $200 million at a time. Putin associates disguised payments, backdated documents and gained hidden influence within the country’s media and automotive industries, the leaked files show. A Kremlin spokesman did not answer questions for this story, but instead went public March 28 with charges that ICIJ and its media partners were preparing a misleading “information attack” on Putin and people close to him. (snip) In Iceland, the leaked files show how Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson and his wife secretly owned an offshore firm that held millions of dollars in Icelandic bank bonds during that country’s financial crisis. The files include a convicted money launderer who claimed he’d arranged a $50,000 illegal campaign contribution used to pay the Watergate burglars, 29 billionaires featured in Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s 500 richest people and movie star Jackie Chan, who has at least six companies managed through the law firm. https://panamapapers.icij.org/20160403-panama-papers-global-overview.html Edited April 3, 2016 by Deranged Rhino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 Link to a hub with a lot more info from the reporters who broke the story: http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.de/en/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 MORE: Scoreboard -- well over half a day into the reporting now and there's zero mention of this story on any major American media outlets. Abby Wombach's story is the headline on nearly every page (cnn, msnbc, nbc, abc, fox news). Wait a minute....that soccer chick broke this story? Was she undercover while traveling the world playing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Man Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 FortuneVerified account @FortuneMagazine 2h2 hours ago Get the lowdown on #PanamaPapers http://for.tn/1RTqqxW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unbillievable Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I've been on the internet all day and this is the only place I've seen this story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Again: this doesn't matter. At all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Quite disappointing, misleading thread title. Clicked the link thinking it would be about a new line from these guys: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Why are you surprised that the USA wasn't shaded? As an aside, do you advocate that governments be more vigilant about policing international money transfers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Again: this doesn't matter. At all. Please elaborate to all of us among the unwashed masses by enlightening us with your Econ 102 prof's explanation. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Again: this doesn't matter. At all. USA Today thinks it does http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/04/panama-papers-russia-putin-politicians/82602530/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 USA Today thinks it does http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/04/panama-papers-russia-putin-politicians/82602530/ Who cares. This is nothing more than: "Be t3h OUTRAGE!!!11!one!!11!!! about wealthy individuals taxes!!!" The only thing remotely interesting about this story is the fact that, predictably, wealthy individuals living in places with VATs and very high progressive tax rates actively pull their money out of those economies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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