At 2.00pm EST/EDT today 9th May 2016 the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published a selective searchable database at this link based on the Panama Papers. It contains data on many of those millions of people involved in 200,000 plus offshore entities including trusts, companies, foundations and funds incorporated in over 20 “tax havens” (as well as places in the USA and Europe) linked to people in over 200 countries and territories. It also includes information about circa 100,000 entities that was uncovered in the 2013 ICIJ Offshore Leaks investigation.
You will be able to search through the millions of names disclosed in the Panama Papers and the ICIJ Offshore Leaks databases and quickly check out individuals or businesses that matter to you. In depth checks will also show you who is linked to whom. If you think about it, the database is a modern treasure trove left behind by contemporary pirates. The data in that database may contain information pertinent to you that could be worth many “pieces of eight”! If you need any help searching the database please contact Faire Sans Dire.
The consequences of these revelations may not be known for years to come but they will devastate the lives of many involved in criminal activities such as money laundering and tax evasion or those who simply wanted to hide their assets either during the course of divorce proceedings or for other questionable purposes.
According to the ICIJ the release of information is not a “data dump” of all the data in the Panama Papers. It doesn’t include personal data such as records of bank accounts and financial transactions, emails and other correspondence, passports and telephone numbers.
The ICIJ, other media outlets (including the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung which initially received the Panama Papers) and investigators will continue their ongoing investigations and publish anything of genuine interest to the world at large. In addition, tax authorities and law enforcement agencies all over the world will have teams analysing this treasure trove of dirty linen for years to come but you won’t hear too much about their findings for a while.
For background information on the Panama Papers and other related databases as well as details of those who have been named and shamed to date you may find the following links useful.
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists https://panamapapers.icij.org/20160403-panama-papers-global-overview.php; https://panamapapers.icij.org/the_power_players/; and https://offshoreleaks.icij.org
Faire Sans Dire http://www.fairesansdire.org/the-panama-papers; http://www.fairesansdire.org/a-complete-uk-guide-to-suspicious-neighbours; https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/complete-uk-guide-suspicious-neighbours-bill-fairclough?trk=pulse-det-nav_art; http://www.fairesansdire.org/do-you-know-whose-named-shamed-in-the-panama-papers; and https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/has-your-secret-offshore-account-been-exposed-were-all-fairclough?trk=pulse-det-nav_art
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Papers and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Papers#Allegations.2C_reactions.2C_and_investigations
This article was first published on 9th May 2016.
