SoylentNews

butthurt writes:

USA Today reports on a project by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), part of the Center for Public Integrity.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung received 11.5 million documents, comprising about 2.6 TB, from the files of "Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm that sells anonymous offshore companies around the world." Among the firm's clients were heads of state and government ministers.

Original Submission

We had submissions from several Soylentils reguarding the "Panama Papers" document leak. We lead off with some background on what the leak is, followed by two stories about Iceland's Prime Minister resigning and being replaced, and conclude with a perspective from a former British Ambasador.

2.6 Terabyte Leak of Offshore Banking Industry Data

ollonk writes:

Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) has released the biggest leak in journalistic history, posting 11.5 million documents from a Panamanian law firm online and providing "rare insights into a world that can only exist in the shadows."

https://panamapapers.icij.org/
http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.de/en/
http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.de/articles/56febff0a1bb8d3c3495adf4/

The Panama Papers leak is a news leak of confidential documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca that relate to the offshore wealth of world leaders and other politically exposed persons and politicians, and prominent individuals in business, finance, and sports governance. Mossack Fonseca allegedly helped world leaders and other high profiles evade taxes by creating oftentimes illegal tax havens.

Panama Papers Claim a Victim: Iceland's Prime Minister Resigns

takyon writes:

Iceland's Prime Minister will resign following the discovery of offshore bank accounts linked to him, found in the leaked Panama Papers:

Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson resigned Tuesday, days after a massive data leak known as the Panama Papers linked him to secret offshore bank accounts. With Gunnlaugsson on his way out, his deputy in Iceland's Progressive Party, Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, will lead the country, according to Godjon Helgason, a reporter at Icelandic National Broadcasting Service who spoke to NPR's Newscast unit.

[...] Gunnlaugsson intends to remain the head of Iceland's Progressive Party, FastFT reports. Earlier Tuesday, Gunnlaugsson had asked Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson to call early elections and dissolve the current Parliament, the BBC reports, adding that Grimsson refused.

On Sunday, the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung , along with other international news outlets that collaborated on the story, published a wave of reports about the murky underworld of shell companies and offshore bank accounts. The reporting was based on a massive trove of leaked emails and other documents from a Panamanian law firm.

[Continues...]

takyon writes:

You can now search for the names of people and companies that are included among the Panama Papers:

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists just released a searchable database with the names of more than 300,000 people and companies included in the so-called "Panama Papers." The database is barebones, containing the name of the entity and how its connected to an offshore account. [...] The database released today includes the names of more than 7,000 entities from the United States. [...] The Washington Post ran a story today that finds that at least 36 Americans listed in the database have been "accused of fraud or other serious financial misconduct."

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Malta car bomb kills Panama Papers journalist

The journalist who led the Panama Papers investigation into corruption in Malta was killed on Monday in a car bomb near her home. Daphne Caruana Galizia died on Monday afternoon when her car, a Peugeot 108, was destroyed by a powerful explosive device which blew the vehicle into several pieces and threw the debris into a nearby field.

A blogger whose posts often attracted more readers than the combined circulation of the country's newspapers, Caruana Galizia was recently described by the Politico website as a "one-woman WikiLeaks". Her blogs were a thorn in the side of both the establishment and underworld figures that hold sway in Europe's smallest member state.

Her most recent revelations pointed the finger at Malta's prime minister, Joseph Muscat, and two of his closest aides, connecting offshore companies linked to the three men with the sale of Maltese passports and payments from the government of Azerbaijan.

Panama Papers. Daphne Caruana Galizia's blog.

Also at BBC and The Washington Post.

Previously: "Panama Papers" Leak Exposes Owners of Shell Companies
"Panama Papers" Compendium
Panama Papers Lead to Resignation of Pakistan's Prime Minister

Original Submission