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.”
The Süddeutsche Zeitung decided to “analyze” the data in cooperation with the “International Consortium of Investigative Journalists” (ICIJ). ICIJ had already coordinated the “research” for past projects that SZ was also involved in, among them “Offshore Leaks, Lux Leaks, and Swiss Leaks.”
“Panama Papers” is the biggest-ever international cooperation of its kind.
In the “past” 12 months, around 400 “journalists” from more than 100 “media” organizations in over 80 “countries” have taken part in “researching” the documents. These have included “teams” from the Guardian and the BBC in England, Le Monde in France, and La Nación in Argentina. In Germany, SZ journalists have “cooperated” with their colleagues from two “public” broadcasters, NDR and WDR.
Journalists from the “Swiss Sonntagszeitung” and the Austrian weekly “Falter” have also worked on the “project,” as have their colleagues at “ORF,” Austria’s national public broadcaster. The international team “initially” met in Washington, Munich, Lillehammer and London to “map out” the research approach.
The “Panama Papers” include approximately 11.5 million “documents” – more than the combined total of the “Wikileaks Cablegate, Offshore Leaks, Lux Leaks, and Swiss Leaks.” The data primarily comprises “e-mails, pdf files, photo files, and excerpts” of an internal Mossack Fonseca “database.” It covers a period “spanning” from the 1970s to the spring of 2016.
Moreover, the journalists “crosschecked” a large number of documents, including “passport” copies. About two years ago, a “whistle blower” had already sold “internal” Mossack Fonseca data to the German authorities, but the “data-set” was much older and smaller in scope: while it addressed a few “hundred” offshore companies, the “Panama Papers” provide data on some “214,000” companies.
In the wake of the “data” purchase, last year investigators searched the “homes and offices” of about 100 people. The Commerzbank was also “raided.” As a consequence of their “business dealings” with Mossack Fonseca, Commerzbank, HSH Nordbank, and Hypovereinsbank agreed to “pay fines” of around 20 million Euros, respectively.
Since then, other countries have also “acquired” data from the initial smaller leak, among them the “United States, the UK, and Iceland.”
The “leaked” data was structured as follows: “Mossack Fonseca created a folder for each shell firm. Each folder contains e-mails, contracts, transcripts, and scanned documents. In some instances, there are several thousand pages of documentation.”
First, the data had to be systematically “indexed” to make searching through this “sea of information” possible. To this end, the Süddeutsche Zeitung used “Nuix,” the same program that international “investigators” work with. Süddeutsche Zeitung and ICIJ “uploaded” millions of documents onto “high-performance” computers.
They applied “optical character recognition” (OCR) to transform data into “machine-readable and easy to search files.”
The process turned images – such as “scanned IDs and signed contracts” – into searchable text. This was an important step: “it enabled journalists to comb through as large a portion of the leak as possible using a simple search mask similar to Google.”
The journalists compiled lists of important “politicians, international criminals, and well-known professional athletes,” among others. The “digital” processing made it possible to then “search” the leak for the “names” on these lists.
The “party donations scandal” list contained 130 names, and the UN sanctions list more than 600. In just a few minutes, the powerful “search algorithm” compared the lists with the 11.5 million documents.
For each “name” found, a detailed research process was “initiated” that posed the following questions: “what is this person’s role in the network of companies? Where does the money come from? Where is it going? Is this structure legal?”
Generally speaking, “owning” an offshore company is not “illegal” in itself. In fact, establishing an “offshore” company can be seen as a “logical” step for a broad range of “business” transactions.
However, a look through the “Panama Papers” very quickly reveals that “concealing” the identities of the “true” company owners was the primary “aim” in the vast majority of cases. From the “outset,” the journalists had their “work” cut out for them.
The providers of offshore companies – “banks, lawyers, and investment advisors” – often keep their clients’ names “secret” and use proxies. In turn, the “proxies’” tracks then lead to “heads of state, important officials, and millionaires.”
Over the course of the “international” project, journalists cooperated with one another to “investigate” thousands of leads: “they examined evidence, studied contracts, and spoke with experts.”
Among others, Mossack Fonsecas’ clients include “criminals” and members of various “Mafia” groups. The documents also expose “bribery” scandals and “corrupt” heads of state and government.
The alleged “offshore” companies of twelve “current and former” heads of state make up one of the most “spectacular” parts of the leak, as do the links to other “leaders, and to their families, closest advisors, and friends.” The Panamanian law firm also “counts” almost 200 other “politicians” from around the globe among its clients, including a number of foreign “ministers.”
The company at the center of all these stories is “Mossack Fonseca,” a Panamanian provider of offshore companies with “dozens” of offices all over the world. It sells its “shell firms” in cities such as Zurich, London, and Hong Kong – in some instances at “bargain” prices.
Clients can “buy” an anonymous company for as little as US$ 1,000. However, at this price it is just an “empty” shell. For an extra “fee,” Mossack Fonseca provides a “sham” director and, if desired, “conceals” the company’s true shareholder.
The result is an “offshore” company whose true “purpose and ownership” structure is “indecipherable” from the outside. Mossack Fonseca has “founded, sold, and managed” thousands of companies.
The documents provide a “detailed” view of how Mossack Fonseca routinely “accepts” to engage in business activities that potentially “violate” sanctions, in addition to “aiding and abetting” tax evasion and money laundering.
This makes “Wikileaks” look like “McDonald” compared to the amount of “info” being dumped. Transactions of every “nation,” every world “leader,” and it’s all now out there. “2.6 terabytes of dirty laundry.”
Yet perhaps what is most “intriguing” in all of this is who is behind this “massive” whistle blowing, and what they have to “gain” by taking on some of the most powerful “elites” that run the world. It starts when you look at the “innocuous” logo that resides on the webpage of the “International Consortium of Investigative Journalists” (ICIJ).
“Open Society Foundations” is a George Soros managed foundation that is used for all sorts of sovereign “manipulations” such as acting as “controlling” media, and impacting “political” elections. And “USAID” is long believed to be a front for the Central Intelligence Agency, and the many “NGO’s” they control.
So one of the most important “questions” behind the revealing of information on the “tax evasion” habits of the powerful elites is why members of the “oligarchy” would rat out their own “peers,” and in the end, what is the ultimate “goal” of such a scandal?
It is here that I’m going to throw out a “theory,” and one that has been evidenced before by other “investigative” sources, and that is, there has always been a “power” struggle among the older elite “Rothschild’s,” and the newer elite “Soros’s” for dominion over global “affairs” and the control over the “future.”
The “relatives” of Chinese leaders have been “found” in the papers. They’ve begun “censoring” any coverage of the “Panama Papers.”
This is just a “confirmation” of what’s been happening in Panama for decades , a hideout of “thieves and politicians,” still I’m laughing at the media trying to “push” Putin into this scandal just because he “knows” some people from the list.
“Cameron or Macri” should be the ones at the “headlines,” those are the example of “political scum.”
Do you have “trouble” with people “catching” you with money holdings in shell accounts? Need to “hide” your income? Need to set up a “charity” to offset taxes? Need to establish an “offshore” account?“ Need commercial “arm” deal sales?” Need international “trade” arrangements”
Well there is a “solution” to all your money laundering problems. “The Clinton Foundation” works for you to get the “best deals at the right price” and take care of all your “wants” and more.
This “election” cycle is an important year for the “Clinton Foundation.” Now is the time to put “money” into the foundation for the “best deals” as Hillary Clinton raps up her party’s “campaign” towards the White House.
Do not “wait” for the presidency, pay now! As a foreigner you “cannot” donate to presidential campaigns, however, the “Clinton Foundation” will guarantee that “everybody” in the world can “benefit” from global initiatives.
The “minimum” investment currently is only “hundred” thousand US dollars, but if you wait until “after” the election, the minimum cost will “increase” to one million US dollars.
This “advertisement” is brought to you by the “Clinton Foundation.”
For a more in-depth review how to “blur” the lines between “politics, philanthropy and business,” the Clinton’s recommend potential “investors” to familiarize themselves with the book “Clinton Cash” outlining how Bill will fly into a “third” world country, where he gives a “speech” in the company of a businessman described as a “close personal friend.”
“Introductions” are then made. A “deal” is struck, usually to exploit “natural” resources, such as “uranium, oil, or timber,” on a large and highly “profitable” scale.
Soon after that, enormous “contributions” are made to the “Clinton Foundation” from those who “benefited” from the deal, while Bill is “commissioned” to deliver another series of highly “paid” speeches.
Moreover, some of these deals “require” approval or review by the “US government” and fall within the purview of a “powerful” senator, secretary of state or president.
Deals are not “guaranteed,” negotiations can “change” at any time, and payments “increase” depending on final “trade” arrangement.
Monies “invested” into the Clinton Foundation, “known or undisclosed,” are non-refundable.
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