Chaini Parwani
Published On: October 06, 2021 at 17:25 IST
The Rich and Powerful have been concealing their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century, a Global Investigation has disclosed.
The Investigation, Pandora Papers, was issued on Sunday and included 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries.
Following are some of the highlights of those named in the investigation.
Jordan
The Investigation reveals that consultants helped King Abdullah II of Jordan set up at least three dozen shell companies from 1995 to 2017, assisting the monarch to buy 14 homes worth more than $106 million in the U.S. and the U.K. On Monday, Abdullah declined any impropriety in his purchase of luxury homes abroad.
The United Kingdom
The Investigation revealed that U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair purchased a British Virgin Islands company worth $8.8 million, which now hosts the law firm of his wife, Cherie Blair.
They saved more than $400,000 in property taxes in the same period, according to the Investigation.
Their spokesperson stated, “The Blairs pay full tax on all their earnings. And I have never used offshore schemes either to hide transactions or avoid tax. “
Pakistan
The Documents reveal that members of the Inner Circle of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan were charged with hiding millions of dollars in wealth in secret companies or trusts.
The Czech Republic
The Documents reveal that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in 2009, put $22 million into shell companies to buy a chateau property in a hilltop village in Mougins, France, near Cannes. Furthermore, as observed in the Investigation, both investments were not disclosed in Babis’ required asset declarations.
Babis replied, “The report was meant to harm him ahead of the Czech Republic’s parliamentary election being held on Friday and Saturday.”
Montenegro
The Leaked Documents reveal that the President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic and his son in 2012 allegedly established trust and hid their wealth in a complex network of companies. Djukanovic’s office said that he did establish a business trust with his son in 2012. Later that year, he became Prime Minister and transferred all the rights to his son. While Djukanovic was one of the owners, there had been no business transactions, they said.
Chile
The leaked Documents show that Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, one of the country’s wealthiest men, used offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands for dealings involving the Dominga mining project, which his family co-owned in part with a friend.
On Sunday a statement issued from the President’s office stated that Prosecutors and Courts decided in 2017 that no crime had been committed and Pinera had not been involved.
Lebanon
The Documents reveal that Billionaire Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, a businessman who set up a new Government last month, owns a Panama-based offshore company that he used to purchase property in Monaco in 2008 of more than $10 million.
Furthermore, according to the report, Mikati’s son Maher was a director of at least two British Virgin Islands-based companies, which his father’s Monaco-based company, M1 Group, used to own an office in Central London.
Brazil
The Documents revealed Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes had multimillion-dollar investments in an offshore company named Dreadnoughts International in the British Virgin Islands.
A statement sent through his press office, stated: “His actions have always respected the applicable legislation and have been guided by ethics and responsibility,” adding that Guedes “has disassociated himself from all his activities in the private market” since then.
Russia
The Chief Executive of the Country’s leading TV station and an image-maker for Russia President Vladimir Putin, Konstantin Ernst, who also directed the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, got a deduction to buy and develop Soviet-era cinemas and neighbouring property in Moscow, according to the leaked documents.
Ernst declined all the allegations that he was given any exceptional treatment and replied that the deal was not a secret.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday stated, “If there are any serious publications that are based on something, that cite something specific, we will look into them with interest. At this point, we don’t see a reason to.”
Also Read: Centre: Multi-Agency Group to Investigate Pandora Papers revelations