Pandora's Papers: Secrets of Wealth Accumulation and Financial Misconduct of World Politicians

Nearly 12 million leaked documents reveal the tax evasion and wealth accumulation of hundreds of prominent politicians from different countries. 35 current and former world leaders are among those whose hidden assets have been revealed.

After months of reviewing the results of their investigation, a group of journalists and media activists from different countries published a wealth of leaked documents about the amassing of wealth and tax evasion of hundreds of political figures and celebrities around the world.

On Sunday, October 3, "TagsShow," the website of German Channel One, published part of the findings of this group, which calls itself the "International Consortium of Investigative Journalists."

According to this report, the "Pandora Papers" reveal details of secret contracts, tax evasion, and hidden wealth of more than 330 current or former politicians and political officials from 91 countries.

35 current and former world leaders

The documents, which include the names of 35 current and former world leaders, were obtained by the group through anonymous sources and were reviewed and analyzed by around 600 journalists.

Leaked documents show how the super-rich and politicians use structures like “offshore companies” to hide their vast assets.

These are companies that are registered outside the borders of their managers and beneficiaries in third countries that typically lack effective supervision of financial transactions and are considered tax havens.

From the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic to the King of Jordan

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis is among those named in the documents, accused of using a shell company to buy a $22 million mansion in the south of France, an accusation he denies.

King Abdullah II of Jordan is another person named in the documents, accused of purchasing at least 14 expensive properties in the United States, Britain, and other countries through shell companies.

According to "Tags Shaw," a Jordanian court lawyer says that many of these shell companies are no longer active and that not all of these properties belong to King Abdullah II.

Along with some current heads of state from countries such as Ukraine, Ecuador, and Kenya, the names of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife also appear in the Pandora Papers.

Former British Prime Minister, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Blair and his wife are said to have bought a property in London worth €7.5 million in 2017 through a shell company. In this transaction, €300,000 in tax was apparently not paid.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his family are among those named in the Pandora documents, who allegedly bought $700 million worth of property in the UK through offshore companies.

Close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin and dozens of rock stars and celebrities are among those whose wealth was amassed through offshore companies revealed in the Pandora Papers.

The Pandora Papers contain nearly three terabytes of data, making them more extensive than the Panama Papers leaked in 2016.

These documents relate to 13 offshore companies and financial transactions between 1996 and 2011. Colleagues from some of the world's most famous media outlets, such as the Washington Post, Le Monde, and the Guardian, have collaborated in reviewing these documents.

Source: DW