SARAH BIRD Nies Or Trusts, and Nearly Ron’S,Which Tied the Compa- 12,000 Intermediaries

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

SARAH BIRD Nies Or Trusts, and Nearly Ron’S,Which Tied the Compa- 12,000 Intermediaries THE IRISH TIMES 4 Business News Friday,April5,2013 Offshoretaxhavens Leading Secrets of the rich who hide cash offshore figures across the Millions of records globe reveal thousands of anonymous account MONGOLIA Name: Bayartsogt Sangajav holders Offshore company: Legend Plus Capital Limited Estimates suggest One of Mongolia’s most sen- ior politicianssays he is con- up to $32tn may be sidering resigning from of- stashed in overseas ficeafter being confronted with evidence of his offshore tax havens entity and secret Swiss bank account. “I shouldn’t have opened thataccount.Ishouldhave in- cluded the company in my Millions of internal records declarations,” Bayartsogt have leaked from Britain’s off- Sangajav told the Interna- shore financial industry, expos- tional Consortium of Investi- ing for the first time the identi- gative Journalists(ICIJ). ties of thousands of holders of “I don’t worry about my anonymous wealth from reputation. Iworry about my around the world, from presi- family.Iprobablyshouldcon- dents to plutocrats, the daugh- sider resigning from my posi- ter of anotorious dictator and a tion.” British millionaire accused of Bayartsogt, who says his concealing assets from his account at one point con- ex-wife. tained more than $1 million, The leak of 2million emails became his country’s finance and other documents, mainly minister in September 2008, from the offshore haven of the aposition hehelduntilacabi- British Virgin Islands(BVI), has net reshuffle in August 2012. the potential to cause aseismic He is now the deputy speaker shock worldwide to the boom- of parliament. ing offshore trade, with afor- During those years he at- mer chief economist at McKin- tended international meet- seyestimatingthatwealthyindi- ings and served as governor viduals may have as much as of the Asian Development $32 trillion stashed overseas. Bank and theEuropean Bank In France, Jean-Jacques Au- of Reconstruction. gier, president Francois Hol- lande’s campaign co-treasurer CANADA and close friend, has been Name:Tony Merchant forced to publicly identify his ■ The British Virgin Islands in extremely damaging for confi- nary array of government offi- va’s husband, businessman and amongthemushrooming secre- from alucrative trade as inter- Offshore Company: Mer- Chinese business partner. It the Caribbean, an offshore tax dence among the world’s cials and rich families across politicianIgorShuvalov,hasde- cy havens that cater for them. mediaries. They claim the chant (2000) US Inc Trust emerges as Hollande is mired haven. PHOTOGRAPH: PAUL wealthiest people, no longer the world are identified, from nied allegations of wrongdoing The Caribbean micro-state tax-free offshore companies Acolourful lawyer and for- in financial scandal because his THOMPSON/GETTY IMAGES certain that the size of their for- Canada, the US, India, Paki- about her offshore interests. has incorporated more than a provide legitimate privacy. mer politician, married to former budget minister con- tunes remains hidden. stan, Indonesia, Iran, China, ■ Adictator’s child in the Phil- million such offshore entities The Guardian and ICIJ’s Liberal party senator Pana cealed aSwiss bank account for BVI’s clients include Scot Thailand and former commu- ippines. Maria Imelda Marcos since it began marketing itself “Offshore Secrets” series last Merchant. Known for 20 years and repeatedly lied in the British Virgin Islands, Young, amillionaire associate nist states. The data shows that Manotoc, aprovincial gover- worldwide in the 1980s. Own- year exposed how UK property challenges to the Canadian about it. where owners’ identities nor- ofdeceasedoligarch BorisBere- their secret companies are nor, is theeldest daughter of ers’ true identities are never re- empires have been built up by revenue agency over his tax mally remain secret. zovsky. Dundee-born Young is based mainly in the British Vir- former president Ferdinand vealed. Even the island’s offi- Russian oligarchs, fraudsters payments .Hehas also been Politicalresignation The names have been un- in jail for contempt of court for gin Islands. Marcos, notorious for corrup- cialfinancial regulatorsnormal- and tax avoiders, using BVI disciplined by the Law Socie- In Mongolia, the country’s for- earthed in anovel project by concealing assets from his Sample offshore owners tion. ly have no idea who is behind companies behind ascreen of ty for “conduct unbecom- mer finance minister and depu- the Washington-based Interna- ex-wife. named in the files include: ■ Spain’s wealthiest art collec- them. sham directors. ing”. tyspeakerof itsparliament says tional Consortium of Investiga- Another is jailed fraudster ■ The president of Azerbaijan tor, Baroness Carmen Thys- Such so-called “nominees”, In 1998,launched Cook Is- hemayhavetoresignfrom poli- tive Journalists [ICIJ], in collab- AchilleasKallakis.Heusedfake and hisfamily. Alocal construc- sen-Bornemisza,aformer beau- Licensingrevenue Britons giving far-flung ad- lands trust with deposit of tics as aresult of this investiga- oration with the London-based BVI companies to obtain are- tion magnate, Hassan Gozal, ty queen and widow of aThys- The British foreign office de- dresseson Nevisin theCaribbe- more than $800,000 as sett- tion. Guardian and other interna- cord-breaking £750 million in controls entities setupinthe sen steel billionaire, who uses pends on the BVI’s company li- an, Dubai or the Seychelles, are lor and initially as benefi- But the two can now be tional media, who are jointly property loans from reckless names of President Ilham Ali- offshore entities to buy pic- censing revenue to subsidise simply renting out their names ciary. Sent fee payments in named for the first time be- publishing their research re- British and Irish banks. yev’s two daughters. tures. this residual outpost of empire, for the real owners to hide be- cash envelopes: the agents cause of their use of companies sults this week. As well as Britons hiding ■ The wife of Russia’s deputy The UK-controlled BVI has while lawyers and accountants hind. noted “All communications in offshore havens, particularly The naming project may be wealth offshore, an extraordi- prime minister. OlgaShuvalo- been the most successful in the City of London benefit – Guardian service regarding this trust is to be kept to aminimum –Donot ever send faxes cos he will have astroke about it.” FRANCE Records represent treasure trove of inside information Name:Jean-Jacques Augier Offshore company: Interna- tional Bookstores Ltd [IBL] GERARDRYLE The leaks illustrate how off- deutscher Rundfunk in Germa- Eighty-six journalists from Offshore centres, they say, al- Thevast tideofoffshore mon- ers argue that offshore secrecy Publisher and Sinologist. shore financialsecrecy has ag- ny,theWashingtonPost,theCa- 46 countries used both hi-tech low peopletodiversify invest- ey can disrupt economies. forcescitizenstopay highertax- Campaign treasurer of Fran- The secret records obtained by gressively spread around the data crunching and traditional ments,createinternationalven- Greece's fiscal disaster was ex- es to make up for vanishing rev- çois Hollande for the 2012 ICIJ lay bare an extraordinary globe. The records detail off- reporting to sift through emails tures and do business in entre- acerbatedby offshoretaxcheat- enues, while anonymity makes presidential elections. They range of people using offshore shore holdings in more than ■ Gerard Ryle: and account ledgers covering preneur-friendly zones without ing and in the Cyprus crisis, lo- it difficult to track the money. studied together at the pres- hideaways. 170 territories; this represents director of the nearly 30 years. red tape. cal banks’ assets were inflated Astudy by James SHenry, tigious National School of They include US dentists and thebiggest stockpileof insidein- ICIJ, an “I've never seen anything “Everything is much more by waves of cash from Russia. formerchiefeconomistat McK- Management (ENA). middle-class Greek villagers as formation about the offshore independent likethis. Thissecret worldhas fi- geared toward business,” Da- ICIJ’s 15-month investiga- insey &Company, estimates Chief executive of Eurane well as families of despots, Wall system ever obtained by ame- network of nally been revealed,” said vid Marchant, publisher of Off- tion found that, alongside per- that wealthy individuals have SA.Madelarge publishing in- Street swindlers, easternEuro- dia organisation. reporters Arthur Cockfield, alaw profes- shoreAlert, an online journal, fectly legal transactions, the se- $21-$32 trillion tucked away in vestmentinChina2005.Cay- pean and Indonesian billion- Toanalyseit,ICIJcollaborat- sor at Queen’s University in said.“If you’re dishonest, you crecy and lax oversight offered offshorehavens–roughlyequiv- mans-registered entity IBL, aires, Russian executives, arms ed with reporters from the Canada, during aCBC inter- can take advantage of that in a by the offshore world appears alent to the size of the US and set up with 25 per cent share- dealers and acompany alleged Guardian and the BBC in the nadian Broadcasting Corpora- view. bad way. But if you’re honest to allow fraud, tax-dodging and Japanese economies com- holding granted to BVI com- to be afront for Iran’s nucle- UK, Le Monde in France, Süd- tion(CBC) and31otherinterna- Offshore’s defenders say you can take advantage of that politicalcorruption to thrive. bined. pany Sinolinks Transworld ar-development programme. deutsche Zeitung and Nord- tional media partners. that most users are legitimate. in agood way.”
Recommended publications
  • European Parliament
    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion Public Hearing The Panama papers – Discussion with the investigative journalists behind the revelations 27 September 2016 9h00 - 11h30 (2h30) Paul-Henri Spaak 1A002 Brussels Draft PROGRAMME 09:00 - 09:10 Welcome by the PANA Chair 09:10 - 09:20 Pre-recorded messages from Gerard Ryle and Marina Walker, Directors at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) [based in Washington DC] Bastian Obermayer, Süddeutsche Zeitung [based in Washington DC] 09:20 - 10:10 Presentations by speakers (all confirmed, at 7 min each) Frederik Obermaier (Süddeutsche Zeitung) (via Skype/ visioconference) Kristof Clerix (Knack magazine, Belgium) Oliver Zihlmann (Sonntagszeitung | Le Matin Dimanche, Switzerland) Julia Stein and Jan Strozyk (Norddeutscher Rundfunk/ NDR, Germany) Minna Knus (MOT, Finnish Broadcasting Company, Finland) 10:30 - 11:25 Discussion with PANA Members 11:25 - 11:30 Conclusions by the PANA Chair Secretariat of the Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion [email protected] PUBLIC HEARING THE PANAMA PAPERS – DISCUSSION WITH THE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS BEHIND THE REVELATIONS TUESDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2016 9.00 - 11.30 Room: Paul-Henri Spaak (1A002) CVS OF THE JOURNALISTS Gerard Ryle Gerard Ryle leads the ICIJ’s headquarters staff in Washington, D.C., as well as overseeing the consortium’s more than 190 member journalists in more than 65 countries. Before joining as the ICIJ’s first non-American director in September 2011, Ryle spent 26 years working as a reporter, investigative reporter and editor in Australia and Ireland, including two decades at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers.
    [Show full text]
  • The Data Journalism Handbook
    THE DATA JOURNALISM HANDBOOK Towards a Critical Data Practice Edited by Liliana Bounegru and Jonathan Gray 1 Bounegru & Gray (eds.) The Data Journalism Handbook “This is a stellar collection that spans applied and scholarly perspectives on practices of data journalism, rich with insights into the work of making data tell stories.” − Kate Crawford, New York University + Microsoft Research New York; author of Atlas of AI “Researchers sometimes suffer from what I call journalist-envy. Journalists, after all, write well, meet deadlines, and don’t take decades to complete their research. But the journalistic landscape has changed in ways that scholars should heed. A new, dynamic field—data journalism—is flourishing, one that makes the boundaries between our fields less rigid and more interesting. This exciting new volume interrogates this important shift, offering journalists and researchers alike an engaging, critical introduction to this field. Spanning the globe, with an impressive variety of data and purposes, the essays demonstrate the promise and limits of this form of journalism, one that yields new investigative strategies, one that warrants analysis. Perhaps new forms of collaboration will also emerge, and envy can give way to more creative relations.” − Wendy Espeland, Northwestern University; co-author of Engines of Anxiety: Academic Rankings, Reputation, and Accountability “It is now established that data is entangled with politics and embedded in history and society. This bountiful book highlights the crucial role of data journalists
    [Show full text]
  • Fondazione Ifel
    FONDAZIONE IFEL Rassegna Stampa del 05/04/2013 La proprietà intellettuale degli articoli è delle fonti (quotidiani o altro) specificate all'inizio degli stessi; ogni riproduzione totale o parziale del loro contenuto per fini che esulano da un utilizzo di Rassegna Stampa è compiuta sotto la responsabilità di chi la esegue; MIMESI s.r.l. declina ogni responsabilità derivante da un uso improprio dello strumento o comunque non conforme a quanto specificato nei contratti di adesione al servizio. INDICE IFEL - ANCI 05/04/2013 Corriere della Sera - Nazionale 10 Pagamenti alle imprese, più fondi nel 2013 05/04/2013 Il Sole 24 Ore 12 Salta lo stop agli investimenti dei Comuni 05/04/2013 Il Sole 24 Ore 14 È la legge a imporre l'addio della società di riscossione 05/04/2013 Il Sole 24 Ore 15 L'edilizia prepara i decreti ingiuntivi 05/04/2013 Il Sole 24 Ore 17 Fondi Ue, alle città almeno 3 miliardi 05/04/2013 Avvenire - Nazionale 18 Pagare le imprese per poter ripartire 05/04/2013 L Unita - Nazionale 20 Debiti Pa, da sciogliere il nodo di Comuni e Asl 05/04/2013 QN - La Nazione - Nazionale 21 Iva, Imu, Tares: stangata in arrivo Ma studi di settore più leggeri 05/04/2013 Quotidiano di Sicilia 22 Tares subito: a maggio la prima rata ciambella di salvataggio per i Comuni 05/04/2013 Quotidiano di Sicilia 24 Ma "l'ingorgo" dei balzelli è solo rinviato a fine anno ECONOMIA PUBBLICA E TERRITORIALE 05/04/2013 Corriere della Sera - Nazionale 26 PATRIMONIALE MASCHERATA 05/04/2013 Corriere della Sera - Nazionale 27 Paradisi fiscali, la lista dello scandalo
    [Show full text]
  • THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE for JOURNALISTS Digital Investigative Tools in the Era of Big Data by David Hidalgo & Fabiola Torres
    THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE FOR JOURNALISTS Digital investigative tools in the era of Big Data By David Hidalgo & Fabiola Torres Translated by Florencia Melgar & Kirsty Styles THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE FOR JOURNALISTS FOR JOURNALISTS 2 | | 3 THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE FOR JOURNALISTS Digital investigative tools in the era of Big Data By David Hidalgo & Fabiola Torres Translated by Florencia Melgar & Kirsty Styles THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE FOR JOURNALISTS | 1 Index Prologue 5 I. The new literacy for Journalists: how an encounter with a hacker accelerated the reinvention of journalism. 11 Safe-deposit box: tools to avoid internet surveillance / Guide to data investigations / Open Refine, software on steroids: how to detect errors among millions of data points / Online catalogue: applications developed in Peru / Digital resources to hunt stories: desktop utili- ties for investigative reporters. II. How do you track crimes in a database? Twenty investiga- The Swiss Army Knife for Journalists tions that changed the way we do journalism. Investigations with leaked data / Investigations with public data / 6 39 © David Hidalgo and Fabiola Torres tools to help you tell better stories: how to enrich a story with ima- Research: Fabiola Torres and David Hidalgo ges, infographics and sound / Building databases for Investigations Assistant: Karina Valencia / The powerful Neo4J: how to discover global fraud with nodes and Design: Kati Sanabria edges / Digital cartography: resources to precisely locate the events Traslation: Florencia Melgar and Kirsty Styles and characters. Spanish version (printed): 1a edición, Febrero 2016 The path to a culture of innovation: digital labs for investiga- English version (digital): August 2016 tive journalism in Peru.
    [Show full text]
  • Muckraking Goes Global: the Future of Cross-Border Investigative
    Copyright Copyright © 2013 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved Published by One Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138 Adapted from the Spring 2013 issue of Nieman Reports The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard has published this e-book in both English and Spanish to coincide with the 2013 Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Rio de Janeiro on October 12 – 15. The conference is a joint effort of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, the Latin American Conference on Investigative Journalism, and the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism. Translators: Patricia Torres Londoño and Erin Goodman Spanish Copy Editor: Sandra Rodríguez Nieto The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard educates leaders in journalism and elevates the standards of the profession through special programs that convene scholars and experts in all fields. More than 1,400 accomplished and promising journalists from 92 countries have been awarded Nieman Fellowships since 1938. In addition to the Nieman Watchdog Project, which aims to examine and invigorate journalism in its fundamental role of serving the public interest, the foundation's other initiatives include Nieman Reports, a quarterly print and online magazine that explores contemporary challenges and opportunities in journalism; Nieman Journalism Lab, a website that reports on the future of news, innovation and best practices in the digital media age; and Nieman Storyboard, a website that showcases exceptional narrative journalism and explores the
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Press Freedom Medal Citations Peter Greste Gerard Ryle
    2018 Press Freedom Medal Citations Peter Greste and Gerard Ryle The Australian Press Council Address: Level 6, 309 Kent Street Sydney 2000 Phone: (02) 9261 1930 or 1800 025 712 Fax: (02) 9267 6826 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.presscouncil.org.au Peter Greste Peter Greste’s work as a courageous foreign correspondent is well known, but his more recent work as a vocal press freedom advocate and communications scholar is less known, though no less laudable. The Press Council’s selection committee felt that Peter’s decision to use his high public profile—gained through the extreme hardships he himself endured as a prisoner in an Egyptian jail resulting for his own journalistic work—to become a defender of press freedom and the safety of journalists deserved to be recognised and rewarded. He speaks out frequently and eloquently whenever necessary to remind us all of the vulnerability of journalists and of free speech, and that we must all be constantly on guard against the various threats. Peter is a journalist with more than 25 years of experience as a foreign correspondent for some of the world’s most respected news outlets. He currently occupies the UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Communication at the University of Queensland. Peter began his career in regional television news in his native Australia through the late 1980s. He left his job at the Ten Network in Adelaide in 1991 and as a young freelance reporter covered the war in Yugoslavia in 1992-93 and South Africa’s first multi-party elections the following year.
    [Show full text]
  • Download File
    Tow Center for Digital Journalism THE CASE A Tow/Knight Report FOR MEDIA IMPACT A Case Study of ICIJ's Radical Collaboration Strategy FERGUS PITT AND LINDSAY GREEN-BARBER Funded by the Tow Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Acknowledgments We are grateful to the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, especially Pete Brown and Claire Wardle, for their support, patience, and feedback throughout the lifecycle of this project. Many thanks to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists for participating in this project. The degree of ICIJ reporters’ and editors’ transparency and thoughtfulness have been an inspiration. June 2017 Contents Executive Summary 1 Key Findings . 4 Recommendations . 4 Part One: Media Impact 5 Impact in a Historical Context . 7 Media and Impact: Why Are We (Still) Talking About It? . 8 ICIJ: Global Collaboration for Maximum Impact . 9 Conclusion . 14 Part Two: Impact Theory 15 Media, Impact, and Politics: Easy Allies in the Early Days . 17 Measuring Impact in Other Fields . 24 Impact and Metrics in Information and Communication Worlds . 26 Part Three: ICIJ Case Study 31 I. ICIJ . 33 II. Strategizing for Impact . 40 III. Impact . 41 IV. Challenges and Learnings . 44 V. Conclusion . 46 Citations 47 Executive Summary Executive Summary 3 The media—and especially nonprofit media—has spent the past few years struggling to measure the impact of its work. Some outlets are com- pelled to do so by counting their philanthropic supporters; others see their impact as foundational to audience development and engagement, and still others are beginning to experiment with the role of impact measurement in advertising and other revenue streams.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Report on the Inquiry Into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion
    European Parliament 2014-2019 Plenary sitting A8-9999/2017 08.11.2017 REPORT on the inquiry into money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion (2017/2013(INI)) Committee of Inquiry to investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application of Union law in relation to money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion Rapporteurs: Petr Ježek, Jeppe Kofod <PathFdR>RR\1136488EN.docx</PathFdR> PE<NoPE>605.514</NoPE><Version>v02- 00</Version> PR_INI CONTENTS Page CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................................ 3 OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES DURING THE MANDATE ................................................. 43 I. COMMITTEE COMPOSITION .......................................................................................... 43 II. COMMITTEE MEETINGS and MISSIONS...................................................................... 47 III. ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE .............................................................................. 49 1. Programme of hearings and missions................................................................................... 49 2. List of speakers (hearings and missions).............................................................................. 52 3. Fact-finding missions of the PANA Committee Mission reports ........................................ 91 3.01. Mission to United Kingdom (9-10 February 2017) ........................................................ 91 3.02. Mission to Malta (20 February 2017)
    [Show full text]
  • Investigative Journalism on the Digital Frontier
    16th CLERAUN MEDIA CONFERENCE Friday 11th, Saturday 12th, Sunday 13th November 2016 CLERAUN MEDIA CONFERENCES MEDIA REPORTS Chartered Accountants House, 47-49 Pearse Street, Dublin 2 Scheduled to take place every two years, the professional issues which arise in the course of Cleraun Media Conferences began in 1986 their work in a positive and constructive way. The and have gradually grown in stature. They now Cleraun Media Forum, with its evening seminars constitute an important forum where media between conferences, has helped to make this an practitioners can address and discuss ethical and on-going process. Investigative Journalism on the Digital Frontier REGISTRATION Earlier conferences led to the publication of the following books: To attend the conference, prior registration is required. Only those who have registered and paid in advance can be guaranteed a place. Conference fees (lunch, available in Chartered Accountants House or nearby, not included): Student: €25 Other: €60 Speakers from Ireland at the Cleraun media events have included (in alphabetical order): Register at: www.cleraunmedia.com David Adams, Tony Allwright, Rolande Anderson, Peter Johnston, Peter Kelly, Mary Kenny, John Kerry New sources, new tools, Kevin Bakhurst, Michael Beattie, David Begg, Trevor Keane, Colm Keena, Damien Kiberd, Lauren Kierans, On venue and parking see: Birney, Conor Brady, Mark Brennock, John Burke, Stephen Kinsella, Ian Kirk-Smith, Tom Kitt, Pat Leahy, https://goo.gl/5PxZ2k new technologies, new audiences Elaine Byrne, Jack Byrne, Anne
    [Show full text]
  • How Countries Seek to Strengthen Anti-Money Laundering Laws in Response to the Panama Papers, and the Ethical Implications of Incentivizing Whistleblowers
    Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business Volume 40 Issue 1 Fall Article 3 Fall 2019 How Countries Seek to Strengthen Anti-Money Laundering Laws in Response to the Panama Papers, and the Ethical Implications of Incentivizing Whistleblowers Carmina Franchesca S. Del Mundo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njilb Part of the International Trade Law Commons, Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons, and the Taxation-Transnational Commons Recommended Citation Carmina Franchesca S. Del Mundo, How Countries Seek to Strengthen Anti-Money Laundering Laws in Response to the Panama Papers, and the Ethical Implications of Incentivizing Whistleblowers, 40 NW. J. INT'L L. & BUS. 87 (2019). https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njilb/vol40/iss1/3 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business by an authorized editor of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Scholarly Commons. Copyright 2019 by Carmina Franchesca S. Del Mundo Vol. 40, No. 1 Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business How Countries Seek to Strengthen Anti-Money Laundering Laws in Response to the Panama Papers, and the Ethical Implications of Incentivizing Whistleblowers Carmina Franchesca S. Del Mundo Abstract: The Panama Papers is currently the world’s largest whistleblower case that involved 11.5 million leaked documents and over 214,000 offshore entities. It all linked back to one Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca. In 2016, over 400 investigative journalists collaboratively and simultaneously published stories that exposed the money laundering and tax-evading schemes committed by the rich and powerful.
    [Show full text]
  • CVS of the JOURNALISTS Gerard Ryle
    PUBLIC HEARING THE PANAMA PAPERS – DISCUSSION WITH THE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS BEHIND THE REVELATIONS TUESDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2016 9.00 - 11.30 Room: Paul-Henri Spaak (1A002) CVS OF THE JOURNALISTS Gerard Ryle Gerard Ryle leads the ICIJ’s headquarters staff in Washington, D.C., as well as overseeing the consortium’s more than 190 member journalists in more than 65 countries. Before joining as the ICIJ’s first non-American director in September 2011, Ryle spent 26 years working as a reporter, investigative reporter and editor in Australia and Ireland, including two decades at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers. He uncovered some of the biggest stories in Australian journalism, winning that country’s highest journalism award four times. He is a former deputy editor of The Canberra Times and a former Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. He is the author of a critically acclaimed book based on one of his former investigations, Firepower, and has contributed to two other books on journalism, published in the U.S. and Australia. Source: https://www.icij.org Marina Walker Guevara Marina Walker Guevara is ICIJ’s deputy director. A native of Argentina, she has reported from a half-dozen countries and her investigations have won and shared more than 25 national and international awards, including honors from Long Island University’s George Polk Awards, Investigative Reporters and Editors, Overseas Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists and the European Commission. Over a 20-year career, she has written about environmental degradation by mining companies; the global offshore economy, and the illicit tobacco trade, among other topics.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2020 2 International Consortium of Investigative Journalists • Annual Report 2020
    Annual Report 2020 2 International Consortium of Investigative Journalists • Annual Report 2020 The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists From the Director continues to pioneer a kind of journalism that, with each passing year, generates greater and more visible results. On the first day of 2021, the U.S. Congress passed the Corporate Transparency Act, a landmark, bipartisan anti-corruption law that for the first time requires millions of U.S.-incorporated companies to reveal their true owners to law enforcement authorities. Analysts overwhelmingly cited two ICIJ projects as driving the reform, our Pulitzer Prize-winning Panama Papers from 2016 and our most recent, 2020 blockbuster, the FinCEN Files. Then in February 2021, we were surprised — and humbled — to learn that we, along with the Global Alliance for Tax Justice, had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. While we will have more to say about this singular honor in other contexts, it was notable that the three Norwegian lawmakers who made the nominations prominently cited the FinCEN Files. Published in September, the FinCEN Files project was based on a trove of confidential reports through which major financial institutions alerted the U.S. Treasury to suspicious transactions. BuzzFeed News obtained the documents and then turned to ICIJ, knowing that we could transform the data cache into a truly global ICIJ’s reporting led directly to the swift story. unraveling of a multi-billion dollar business empire and a cascade of ICIJ used secure technology to share the sensitive reports and investigations, many still underway, other data with more than 100 media organizations around the globe.
    [Show full text]