NEW YORK, United States | Several leaders, including the Czech Prime Minister, the King of Jordan or the presidents of Kenya and Ecuador, have concealed assets in offshore companies, in particular for tax evasion purposes, according to a survey released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
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The survey, in which around 600 journalists contributed, is called “Pandora Papers”, a reference to the legend of Pandora’s box. It is based on some 11.9 million documents from 14 financial services companies and has uncovered more than 29,000 companies offshores.
According to these documents, King Abdullah II of Jordan created at least thirty companies offshore, that is to say in countries or territories with favorable taxation, and bought through them 14 luxury properties in the United States and the United Kingdom, for more than 106 million dollars.
In Jordan, the royal palace said on Monday that this “press information is inaccurate, distorted and exaggerated” and that it constitutes a “threat to the safety of the monarch and that of his family”.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has placed, according to the investigation, $ 22 million in shell companies to finance the purchase of Chateau Bigaud, a large property in Mougins in the South of France.
“I have never done anything illegal or wrong,” Mr Babis tweeted, “but that doesn’t stop them from trying to denigrate me and influence the Czech parliamentary elections”, scheduled for next Friday and Saturday. .
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso has lodged funds in two trusts headquartered in the United States, in South Dakota, according to the ICIJ, which also pinpoints the presidents of Chile and the Dominican Republic.
“All my income has been declared and I have paid the corresponding taxes in Ecuador, making me one of the main taxpayers in the country on a personal basis,” said Mr. Lasso, a former banker, in a statement. “All investments made in Ecuador and abroad have always been made within the framework of the law.”
In total, links have been established by the ICIJ between active offshore and 336 top executives and politicians who have created nearly 1,000 companies, more than two-thirds of which are in the British Virgin Islands.
About two million of the 11.9 million documents come from the Panamanian law firm Alcogal (Aleman, Cordero, Galindo & Lee) which according to the ICIJ has played “a major role in tax evasion” and is involved in the creation of accounts to hide the money of more than 160 personalities including the King of Jordan or the Czech Prime Minister.
“Alcogal rejects these speculations, inaccuracies and lies,” the cabinet said in a statement.
“It shows that people who could end the secrecy ofoffshore, to put an end to what is happening there, benefit themselves from it ”, commented Sunday in a video the director of the ICIJ, Gerard Ryle. “We are talking about trillions of dollars. “
For Maira Martini, researcher for the NGO Transparency International, this survey provides new “clear proof that the industry offshore plays into the hands of corruption and financial crime, while obstructing justice ”. “This economic model” based on financial secrecy “cannot continue”.
Shakira and Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Among the personalities on display are the Colombian singer Shakira, the German model Claudia Schiffer and the Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Also appear the names of the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, for the purchase of real estate in London, and of the former French Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
The former managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) channeled several million dollars of consulting fees to companies through a tax-exempt Moroccan company, according to the survey.
In total, according to the French daily Le Monde, a partner of the ICIJ, 600 French people appear in the investigation, including “a far-right conspirator” who used a company in the Seychelles “to sell books and miracle pills”.
In most countries, these facts cannot be prosecuted. But for the leaders, the ICIJ draws a parallel between the anti-corruption discourse of some and their investments in tax havens.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has repeatedly affirmed his determination to fight corruption in his country and to oblige Kenyan officials to be transparent about their heritage.
Yet, according to the “Pandora Papers”, Mr. Kenyatta has a foundation in Panama and several members of his direct family hold more than $ 30 million in accounts. offshore.
Established in 1997 by the American Center for Public Integrity, the ICIJ became an independent entity in 2017. Its network includes investigative journalists in more than 100 countries and territories, with some 100 media partners.
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The ICIJ became known in early April 2016 with the “Panama Papers”, an investigation based on some 11.5 million documents from a Panamanian law firm. They detailed the hidden assets of thousands of Mossack Fonseca clients, including prominent figures.
The shock wave of this publication notably led to the resignation of Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson and Pakistani head of government Nawaz Sharif.
Since 2013 and the publication of the “Offshore Leaks”, already by the ICIJ, numerous coordinated journalistic investigations have revealed the names of companies, managers or personalities having recourse to opaque financial arrangements, in particular the “LuxLeaks” (2014) or the “Paradise Papers” (2017) evoking Prince Charles, Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton or the Nike group.