Panama Papers

antrobus

Someone has leaked a whole bunch of documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung (a German newspaper) which has shared them with a number of other news organisations. Quite understandbly, given that there are
eleven million documents, so there is a fair amount of ground to cover.

The documents allegedly disclose how Mossack Fonseca helped its clients launder dirty money, dodge sundry sanctions, and evade tax. And that would be 'allegedly' in the sense that no one has yet been legally nailed for anything.

The Icelandic Prime Minister, Sigmundur Gunnlaugson is named and may be in trouble.

Further developments are awaited. I expect this one might run for a while.:)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-35918844

Mistermeaner

not heard anything specific on UK persons yet...

Not exactly a shock that lots of bad people all over the world use shady offshore practices to hide weather...

Also not really a surprise that alot of apparently 'good people' are not as good as they may seem

stator

Mistermeaner wrote: »

not heard anything specific on UK persons yet...

I heard on the news that there are a few members of the House of Lords who are named in the documents

antrobus

Running commnetary from the Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/04/panama-papers-tax-haven-used-by-politicians-and-celebrities/

A certain Ian Cameron has been mentioned. And that chap Ashcroft.

vivatifosi

I wouldn't want to be an offshore banker ATM. The Panamanian registry, while not directly naming it's customers, is remarkably open in terms of naming advisors, or certainly was before this blew up. So tying offenders to banks and advisors should be pretty easy.

Generali

This is going to be very, very funny indeed.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

This is going to be very, very funny indeed.

Given that it was invented for a totally different sport to this, never has the term "squeaky bum time" seemed so apt.

[Deleted User]

My guess is that it will be a storm in a teacup, by the time the dust has settled nothing much will have changed. Perhaps they'll sack [STRIKE]Tony Blackburn[/STRIKE] a teller at Barclays in Surbiton.

Generali

vivatifosi wrote: »

Given that it was invented for a totally different sport to this, never has the term "squeaky bum time" seemed so apt.

I do hope that someone ends up playing 'where's the soap' with Mr Big, preferably a few someones.

Thrugelmir

Bigger than the leaked papers that have brought down Switzerlands bank secrecy rules. Hopefully the UK Treasury will benefit.

Moby

http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/04/panama-papers-david-cameron-father-tax-bahamas

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-35961422

Asked if Cameron family money is held in a tax haven fund, a Downing Street spokesman said: "It's a private matter":mad:

Class and connection counts for so much in this country. Ask Kim!:-

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/04/kim-philbys-stasi-tape-reveals-secrets-of-his-success-as-cold-war-spy

'Kim Philby, Britain’s most notorious cold war traitor, told an audience of East German spies after his defection that he was able to avoid being rumbled for so long because he had been “born into the British governing class”.
In a video recording of a speech given to Stasi agents in 1981, uncovered by the BBC, Philby also described how he was able to walk out of secret service headquarters every night with his briefcase stuffed with secret documents and reports.
The overall impression given by the excerpts of Philby’s speech broadcast so far by the BBC is of a British intelligence service staffed by ill-disciplined and inept upper-class twits.'