The Panama Papers have exposed the largest financial crime scandal of our lifetimes. But what has been uncovered by the Panama Papers is much more dangerous than simply greed and corruption.
For those of you who have been hiding under a rock, the Panama Papers are over 11 million documents leaked from Mossack Fonseca, one of the largest law firms in the world specializing in offshore accounts and incorporation of shell companies. According to these papers, some of which I reviewed personally as a legal collaborator with Fusion Media, over 200,000 international shell companies were formed for over 14,000 clients. Among these were over 140 politicians and their families and over a dozen political leaders and celebrities, including soccer star Lionel Messi.
The common link among these individuals is that they used shell companies and offshore accounts to shield their wealth from their home governments.
The media, politicians, and the public are trying to make sense of what the Panama Papers means for (a lack of) regulation. There is grave concern about fairness, international tax schemes, and shell companies. A particular focus of the current investigation is the widespread use (and abuse) of anonymous shell companies.
