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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/5/2016 3:55:32 PM
	The Very Nasty Truth About the Panama Papers By Gordon Duff, Senior Editor on April 4, 2016 Given to the Mossad...to seed, fabricate and censor...just like Wikileaks …by Gordon Duff, Senior Editor [ Editor’s note: Last week when VT published information gotten during the interrogation of a Turkish intelligence agent, Sawash Yeldiz, captured by Popular Party of Kurdistan (PPK) militia inside Syria, information tying Turkish President Erdogan to the Brussels terror attacks, we saw how real leaks are dealt with. The conduit for this information, European Department for Security and Information (DESI) Secretary General Haissam Bou Said, was threatened by Israeli security agents who may have had a part in the Brussels attacks and, moreover, DESI, an EU organization was threatened with sanctions for the leak. This is real investigative journalism… Gordon ] ____________ The Panama Papers are a scam, real documents turned over to a Mossad run organization that now has dirt on even more people and more power to make a very nasty world an even darker and nastier place. This is what Wikileaks was and is, as exposed by VT and Zbigniew Brzezinski in December 2010. The filth of the world will be protected and the innocent, should such things exist, can be targeted in the name of “investigative journalism” as teams seed phony material in and launder out damage to the politicians, names like Netanyahu and Bush, Cheney and Guiliani, Hollande and Blair, Kasich and Snyder, Gingrich and Romney, especially Romney. The Panama Papers are a leak to a German newspaper of tens of thousands of corporate records from a law firm in Panama that ran much of the world’s money laundering. When a German newspaper received this dump over a year ago, they turned, unknowingly, to an organization actually run by intelligence agencies, in fact those with the most to risk from the leak itself, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The entire time this trove has been available it should have been in the hands of forensic accountants working for an agency or authority that none of us can name as such an agency simply doesn’t exist. There is no international authority without an agenda to serve drug cartels and money launderers. For the last year, lists of owners of thousands of phony corporations used to launder money, have been reviewed by dozens of “journalists.” The result thus far has been to mention soccer officials, attack Russian president Putin and to smear the reputation of a well known worthless chiseler, Ian Cameron, father of slimeball David Cameron, long a blackmail victim tied to the News of the World “phone hacking scandal. I am not going to begin to repeat what was found out about David Cameron, but “sick” is an understatement. From Craig Murray: Former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan “But why focus on Russia? Russian wealth is only a tiny minority of the money hidden away with the aid of Mossack Fonseca. In fact, it soon becomes obvious that the selective reporting is going to stink. The Suddeutsche Zeitung, which received the leak, gives a detailed explanation of the methodology the corporate media used to search the files. The main search they have done is for names associated with breaking UN sanctions regimes. The Guardian reports this too and helpfully lists those countries as Zimbabwe, North Korea, Russia and Syria. The filtering of this Mossack Fonseca information by the corporate media follows a direct western governmental agenda. There is no mention at all of use of Mossack Fonseca by massive western corporations or western billionaires – the main customers. And the Guardian is quick to reassure that “much of the leaked material will remain private.” What do you expect? The leak is being managed by the grandly but laughably named “International Consortium of Investigative Journalists”, which is funded and organised entirely by the USA’s Center for Public Integrity. Their funders include *Ford Foundation* *Carnegie Endowment* *Rockefeller Family Fund* *W K Kellogg Foundation* *Open Society Foundation (Soros)* *among many others. Do not expect a genuine expose of western capitalism. The dirty secrets of western corporations will remain unpublished.* *Expect hits at Russia, Iran and Syria and some tiny “balancing” western country like Iceland. A superannuated UK peer or two will be sacrificed – someone already with dementia.”* Like Britain’s pedophile scandals, this one will lead the same way, the very old or targeted folks who got “out of line” will be thrown to the wolves. The Mossad loves this dump, it gives them dirt on thousands of political leaders around the world they can now control even better. As a real investigative journalist, with real sources in government, with first person sources watching drugs being smuggled out of Afghanistan, biological and chemical weapons out of Georgia or who has, with the team at VT, broken more stories in the past decade than all other publications combined, I know something about these things. I also worked in banking as senior officer of an offshore banking operation and as a UN representative working with currency and “development” issues. I saw it all first hand and know the mechanics very well. I could teach this and probably should. We know who the biggest players are in the Panama Papers. The real list doesn’t start with David Cameron’s dad or a FIFA (soccer) official. Bain Capital and Mitt Romney, followed by the Walton family of Walmart fame, the Canadian Bronfmans, Sheldon Adelson and, perhaps most newsworthy of all, several thousand corporations that tie the world’s drug cartels to American political leaders, including members of congress, state governors, city mayors, members of the US Supreme Court and a handful of former presidents. Craig Murray goes further in his analysis: *“The corporate media – the Guardian and BBC in the UK – have exclusive access to the database which you and I cannot see.* They are protecting themselves from even seeing western corporations’ sensitive information by only looking at those documents which are brought up by specific searches such as UN sanctions busters. Never forget the Guardian smashed its copies of the Snowden files on the instruction of MI6. What if they did Mossack Fonseca database searches on the owners of all the corporate media and their companies, and all the editors and senior corporate media journalists? What if they did Mossack Fonseca searches on all the most senior people at the BBC? What if they did Mossack Fonseca searches on every donor to the Center for Public Integrity and their companies? *What if they did Mossack Fonseca searches on every listed company in the western stock exchanges, and on every western millionaire they could trace?* That would be much more interesting. I know Russia and China are corrupt, you don’t have to tell me that. What if you look at things that we might, here in the west, be able to rise up and do something about? *And what if you corporate lapdogs let the people see the actual data?”* ____________ Surveillance photo from Mexican Intelligence of Romney and mistress, Yuri Andropov’s daughter Back in 2012, two months prior to the presidential election, a former senior FBI official, actively employed by the FBI, came to us. He had a story to tell. He said that Mitt Romney, working with a series of financial organizations in the US including banks owned by the Walton family, maintained accounts overseas for hundreds of American political leaders. The story of these accounts, not whose name was on them, but confirming they existed, hit the newspapers only a few short days before, citing Romney as having thousands of secret bank accounts in the Cayman Islands. We were told of how Romney and Carlos Salinas, former president of Mexico, met at Harvard Business School, and together built an empire out of the drug cartels that, through buying 5 US Supreme Court Justices who passed “Citizens United,” legalized drug cartel bribery, done through corporations set up by a law firm in Panama with offices around the world. The FBI had audio and video tapes of Romney with Maria Perez, his mistress in Cuba, daughter of former KGB chief Yuri Andropov and his Cuban mistress. The tapes told of drug running and money laundering and more, so much more. The source of the tapes was Mexican intelligence that had been after Salinas for years and had worked with our FBI source who had been the liaison between the US and Mexico on drug investigations through the 1990s. Of course we have all of these interviews recorded, some of them on YouTube. The Pentagon missing trillions investigation died with the entire DC Able Danger team called in for an emergency meeting that day The biggest single set of interlocking corporations that should have been exposed are tied to the nearly 3 trillion dollars missing from the US Department of Defense, money “disappeared” when the investigative records were mysteriously the victim of an aircraft accident on 9/11/2001 at the Pentagon, one of the most defended buildings on earth. Not only were all the records destroyed but the 35 investigators were killed as well, having been asked to gather for a meeting with a White House official who never showed up. But that’s another story. What we are saying is this, when former crimes were erased there was a reason. Bigger crimes were planned. Nearly every defense and intelligence contractor, from “Google Idea Groups” to the Blackwater network and hundreds more, were all tied to interlocking Panamanian corporations with ownership by members of congress, key Federal judges, and all of this run through a legal advocacy group known as the Federalist Society. The Panama Papers could eventually expose certainly who is really behind 9/11. In 2014, we were given documents out of Russia that included a preliminary report on 9/11 by the US Department of Energy, outlining that event as “nuclear” and not as the result of terrorism, not as it is typically defined. The term “false flag terrorism” would apply, however.
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/5/2016 5:29:51 PM
	North Korea claims attacks on US will kill more than 9/11 in latest chilling threat 11:40, 4 APR 2016 UPDATED 14:26, 4 APR 2016 BY SAM WEBB A ranting article in the hermit Stalinist nation's state-run publication DPRK Today said their weapons are trained on the White House North Korea threatens US with attack worse than 9/11 North Korea has claimed they will kill more people in America than the September 11 attacks. A ranting article in the hermit Stalinist nation's state-run publication DPRK Today said their weapons are trained on the White House, the Pentagon and other vital strategic locations. It read: “If three civilian airplanes’ attacks from 15 years ago resulted in 3,000 deaths and brought a nightmare to life for the US, the outbreak of our final war will wipe the country from history, leaving no time (for them to) even regret or have nightmares about it,” read the bulletin, seen by NK News. Kim Jong-un’s regime has issued a series of threats recently - even threatening long-time ally China. Read more: Donald Trump 'doesn't know much about the world' says Obama Chilling images from the newspaper “Being beaten by only three civilian airplanes, the US was ashamed in front of the world and has suffered incalculable psychological and economical damage,” the article added. The provocative article comes soon after Kim Jong-un defied a UN weapons ban to oversee the testing of North Korea's new surface-to-air missiles - the country's state media has reported. The test comes amid growing tensions between the North Korea and South Korea as the dictatorship appears to step up its weapons programme. Read more: Kim Jong-un balloons to 300lbs as North Korea faces famine North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un North Korea simulated an attack on Washington with this propaganda video The communist state has declared itself in a state of "semi-war" and declared hostilities against a host of countries including America and China. Kim Jong-Un, 33, recently threatened 'nuclear storm' against the country's enemies after it was subjected to strict UN sanctions - which includes a ban on any missile tests. Pyongyang's official news agency said the leader had "guided the test of a new-type anti-air guided weapon system" to "estimate its performance". (mirror.co.uk)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/6/2016 1:36:47 AM
	Panama Papers: Iceland Prime Minister Resigns April 5, 2016 by Suzanne Maresca BBC News, April 5, 2016 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35966412 The prime minister of Iceland has resigned – the first major casualty of the Panama Papers leaks which have shed an embarrassing spotlight on the world of offshore finance. The leaks, from Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca, showed PM Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson owned an offshore company, Wintris, with his wife. He was accused of concealing millions of dollars’ worth of family assets. The agriculture minister is to take Mr Gunnlaugsson’s place. Mr Gunnlaugsson is one of dozens of high-profile global figures caught up in the huge Mossack Fonseca leak. Pressure for him to quit had intensified since the leaked material was first published on Sunday. Panama Papers: Live updates News of Mr Gunnlaugsson’s resignation came from Agriculture Minister Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, who announced he would be taking over. Mr Johannsson is deputy leader of the governing Progressive party. Other Panama Papers reaction Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif orders judicial investigation into allegations of links with offshore companies France returns Panama to a list of countries which fail to co-operate over tax evasion The US Department of Justice is reviewing the leaked documents to look for evidence of corruption that could be prosecuted in the US, the Wall Street Journal reports Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela says his government has “zero tolerance” for illicit financial activities and would co-operate vigorously with any judicial investigation in any country Panama Papers: Q&A Watergate to Wikileaks: Leaks that shook the world UK opposition wants inquiry The so-called Panama Papers leaked from Mossack Fonseca show that Mr Gunnlaugsson and his wife bought Wintris in 2007. He did not declare an interest in the company when entering parliament in 2009. He sold his 50% of Wintris to his wife, Anna Sigurlaug Palsdottir, for $1 (70p), eight months later. Mr Gunnlaugsson says no rules were broken and his wife did not benefit financially. The offshore company was used to invest millions of dollars of inherited money, according to a document signed by Mrs Palsdottir in 2015. Court records show that Wintris had significant investments in the bonds of three major Icelandic banks that collapsed during the financial crisis which began in 2008. Some of Icelanders’ anger is believed to stem from the perceived conflict of interest. The prime minister was involved in negotiations about the banks’ future and had characterised foreign creditors who wanted their money back as “vultures”, while Wintris itself was a creditor. Mr Gunnlaugsson had kept his wife’s interest in the outcome a secret. A spokesman for the prime minister said on Monday that Ms Palsdottir had always declared the assets to the tax authorities and that, under parliamentary rules, Mr Gunnlaugsson did not have to declare an interest in Wintris. Panama Papers – tax havens of the rich and powerful exposed Eleven million documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca have been passed to German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which then shared them with theInternational Consortium of Investigative Journalists. BBC Panorama is among 107 media organisations – including UK newspaper the Guardian – in 76 countries which have been analysing the documents. The BBC doesn’t know the identity of the source They show how the company has helped clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax Mossack Fonseca says it has operated beyond reproach for 40 years and never been accused or charged with criminal wrong-doing Tricks of the trade: How assets are hidden and taxes evaded Panama Papers: Full coverage; follow reaction on Twitter using #PanamaPapers; in the BBC News app, follow the tag “Panama Papers” Watch Panorama on the BBC iPlayer (UK viewers only)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/6/2016 1:39:13 AM
	World Figures Deny Wrongdoing as ‘Panama Papers’ Turn Spotlight on Tax Evasion April 4, 2016 by Suzanne Maresca World figures deny wrongdoing as ‘Panama Papers’ turn spotlight on tax evasion By Kylie MacLellan and Elida Moreno, Reuters, April 4, 2016 http://tinyurl.com/zqzewyg LONDON/PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Governments across the world began investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful on Monday following a leak of documents from a Panamanian law firm which allegedly showed how clients avoided tax or laundered money. The documents detailed schemes involving an array of figures from friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin to relatives of the prime ministers of Britain, Iceland and Pakistan and as well as the president of Ukraine, journalists who received them said. While the “Panama Papers” detail complex financial arrangements benefiting the world’s elite, they do not necessarily mean the schemes were all illegal. The Kremlin said the documents contained “nothing concrete and nothing new” while a spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said his late father’s reported links to an offshore company were a “private matter”. Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson could not immediately be reached for comment on the naming of his wife in connection with a secretive company in an offshore haven which brought opposition calls for him to resign. Pakistan denied any wrongdoing by the family of Prime Minister Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after his daughter and son were linked to offshore companies. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has not commented on his reported offshore links. Australia, Austria, Brazil, France and Sweden were among countries which said they had begun investigating the allegations, based on more than 11.5 million documents from law firm Mossack Fonseca, located in the tax haven of Panama. Banks as well as individual clients came under the spotlight. The documents were leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and more than 100 other news organizations. Mossack Fonseca has denied any wrongdoing. “I think the leak will prove to be probably the biggest blow the offshore world has ever taken because of the extent of the documents,” ICJC director Gerard Ryle said. ARMS AND DRUGS? The material covers a period over almost 40 years, from 1977 until last December, and allegedly show that some companies domiciled in tax havens were being used for suspected money laundering, arms and drug deals, and tax evasion. Britain’s Guardian newspaper said the documents showed a network of secret offshore deals and loans worth $2 billion led to close friends of Putin, including concert cellist Sergei Roldugin. Reuters could not confirm those details. Putin’s spokesman dismissed the reports, saying they aimed to discredit him ahead of upcoming elections. “This Putinophobia abroad has reached such a point that it is in fact taboo to say something good about Russia, or about any actions by Russia or any Russian achievements. But it’s a must to say bad things, a lot of bad things, and when there’s nothing to say, it must be concocted. This is evident to us.” The British government asked for a copy of the leaked data, which could be embarrassing for Prime Minister Cameron, who has spoken out against tax evasion and tax avoidance. His late father, Ian Cameron, is mentioned in the files, alongside some members of his Conservative Party in the upper house of parliament, former Conservative lawmakers and party donors, British media said. Jennie Granger, director general of enforcement and compliance at HM Revenue and Customs, said the government had a great deal of information from a wide range of sources. “We will closely examine this data and will act on it swiftly and appropriately,” she said. A company list showing the Mossack Fonseca law firm is pictured on a sign at the Arango Orillac Buil … Cameron’s spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the leader’s family had money invested in offshore funds set up by his father, saying it was a “private matter”. The opposition Labour Party’s finance spokesman, John McDonnell, tweeted: “Cameron promised and has failed to end tax secrecy and crack down on ‘morally unacceptable’ offshore schemes, real action is now needed.” The Australian Tax Office said it was investigating more than 800 wealthy Mossack Fonseca clients and had linked more than 120 of them to an associate offshore service provider located in Hong Kong, which it did not name. DATABASE “HACK” The head of Mossack Fonseca, Ramon Fonseca, has denied any wrongdoing but said his firm had suffered a successful but “limited” hack on its database. He described the hack and leak as “an international campaign against privacy”. Fonseca, who was up until March a senior government official in Panama, told Reuters the firm had formed more than 240,000 offshore companies, the “vast majority” used for “legitimate purposes”. A company list showing the Mossack Fonseca law firm is pictured on a sign at the Arango Orillac Buil … The papers also showed the use of offshore companies by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family, including his daughter Mariam and son Hussain. Pakistani Information Minister Pervez Rasheed denied any wrongdoing on their part. “Every man has the right to do what he wants with his assets, to throw them in the sea, to sell them, or to establish a trust for them. There is no crime in this in Pakistani law or in international law,” Rasheed said. Media reports also said the leaked data pointed to a link between a member of global soccer body FIFA’s ethics committee and a Uruguayan soccer official who was arrested last year as part of a U.S. probe into corruption in the sport. FIFA’s ethics committee said Juan Pedro Damiani, a member of its judgment chamber, was being investigated over a possible business relationship with fellow Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo, one of the soccer officials arrested in Zurich last year. Damiani told Reuters in Montevideo he broke off relations with Figueredo when the latter was accused of corruption. EUROPEAN BANKS PROBED A Mossack Fonseca law firm logo is pictured in Panama City April 3, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso Austria’s financial markets regulator FMA is investigating whether lenders Raiffeisen Bank International <RBIV.VI> and Hypo Landesbank Vorarlberg followed rules against money laundering after they were named in the “Panama Papers”. Raiffeisen said it had complied but could not comment on specific cases. Hypo Landesbank Vorarlberg had no immediate comment. The Norwegian government said Norwegian bank DNB DNB.OL must explain its policy of helping clients set up offshore companies in the Seychelles. “DNB says this should not have happened and that the bank should not have participated,” Trade and Industry Minister Monica Maeland said. DNB said it regretted assisting about 40 customers in setting up the firms between 2006 and 2010, and that the practice had ended. Dutch authorities said they would investigate allegations related to the Netherlands. Sweden’s Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) has contacted authorities in Luxembourg to ask for information related to allegations that banking group Nordea <NDA.ST> helped some clients to set up accounts in offshore tax havens Nordea was fined the maximum 50 million crowns ($6.14 million) in May 2015 for deficiencies in its approach to tackling money laundering. Nordea said on Monday it did not help set up offshore companies except in exceptional circumstances, and it had taken measures in 2009 to ensure clients’ holdings and incomes were reported to tax authorities. In Ukraine, lawmakers said parliament should investigate allegations President Petro Poroshenko moved his confectionery business, Roshen, to the British Virgin Islands in August 2014 as fighting between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists peaked. “It is the height of cynicism to open offshore companies at a time when hundreds of our soldiers are dying,” leader of the populist Radical Party, Oleh Lyashko, said on Facebook, adding any investigation could lead to Poroshenko’s impeachment. A senior official from the General Prosecutor’s office said there was no evidence the president had committed a crime. In Brazil, the O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper said politicians from seven parties were named as Mossack Fonseca clients. They included politicians from Brazil’s largest party, the PMDB, which broke away from President Dilma Rousseff’s coalition last week. No politicians from Rousseff’s Workers’ Party were mentioned in the documents, although they included at least 57 people or companies already investigated in Brazil for alleged involvement in corruption at state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA <PETR4.SA>. Panama, part of the Central American isthmus, is among the world’s most secretive offshore financial centers, a group that includes territories such as the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands. It has declined to sign up to global transparency rules which international organizations have been pushing in a bid to fight tax evasion, money-laundering and other criminality. (Reporting by Reuters bureaux, Writing by Angus MacSwan,; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/6/2016 2:03:22 AM
	Panama Bombshell Spells Demise of Shadow Finance, and Privacy April 5, 2016 by Suzanne Maresca Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telepgraph, April 5, 2016 http://tinyurl.com/z2j3pl5 The secret world of offshore banks and money-laundering has been under the microscope ever since the financial crisis. Now it is the turn of lawyers, registrars, and the hidden network of facilitators. The treasure trove of 11.5m documents leaked – or more precisely stolen – from the Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca lifts the lid on the extraordinary practices of the global elites, and on the alleged services of off-shore legal cabinets for terrorist organisations, drug cartels, sanctions busting, and front companies of all kinds. The files on 213,000 firms first slipped to the Suddeutsche Zeitung and then shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) is the biggest data leak in history. It will have long-lasting ramifications. The 10 most popular tax havens in the Panama Papers Of the companies that appear in Mossack Fonseca’s files, one out of every two — more than 113,000 — were incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. The second favorite jurisdiction was Panama, where the firm is headquartered. Source: The Panama Papers Read more The avalanche of allegations has barely begun. The red-hot dossier on US citizens has not even been released. Yet the scandal has already triggered a string of criminal investigations around the world, kicking off in Australia and New Zealand within hours. Germany’s vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said the files go far beyond issues of tax evasion, touching on vital national interests and the rule of law. “It is about organized crime, evasion of UN sanctions, and terrorist finance,” he said. “This shadow economy is a risk for global security. We must ban the anonymous letterbox companies. The international community must ostracize any country that allows these dirty dealings,” said Mr Gabriel. Mossack Fonseca’s clients include 23 people under sanctions for helping North Korea, Russia, Iran, Syria, and Zimbabwe. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that 33 of those named are on the US black list for terrorism. Panama has cornered the trade in anonymous shell companies that allow owners to disguise their identity and carry out global operations secretly. While this may be a legitimate for those in the limelight trying to protect their privacy or to safeguard sensitive corporate dealings, many use it to avoid detection for money-laundering, tax avoidance, or predatory behaviour. The country has pushed through reforms in a bid to clear its name and to get off the OECD’s ‘grey list’ of uncooperative tax havens, but has clearly not yet done enough. Offshore companies incorporated since 1977 The leaked files from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca contain nearly 40 years of data and include information about more than 210,000 companies in 21 offshore jurisdictions, from Panama to Hong Kong. Source: The Panama Papers Read more “Panama has an extremely aggressive and obstructive attitude. Dialogue has broken down,” said Pascal Saint-Amans, the OECD’s tax chief. “It is the last financial centre that has refused to implement global standards of fiscal transparency. There has been very strong pressure from the law firms on the Panamanian government.” Mr Saint-Amans said offshore secrecy in on the wane in most of the world, but becoming more concentrated in Panama. “The majority of undeclared clients are coming clean in other locations, but those who don’t are going to Panama,” he said. French president Francois Hollande warned violators to prepare for the worst. “I can assure you that investigations will be opened and there will be trials as all the information emerges. The leakers have done valuable work for the international community. They have taken risks and should be protected,” he said. There was no need for him to spell out the danger. The files shed light on a $2bn nexus of operations linked to the inner-most circle of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, a man famed for hunting down his enemies. The Kremlin retorted that the Panama Papers were a conspiracy targeted at Russia and intended discredit Mr Putin and destabilize the country before the next elections. Mr Hollande remains curiously silent, however, on the fate of a French journalist due to face judgment in Luxembourg later this month for receiving stolen documents in the LuxLeaks scandal. This is part of a pattern where EU leaders support whistle-blowing freedoms at a distance, but deny it at home or within the EU. Such lack of legal clarity is poisonous since the law can be used selectively and for political purposes. Vows to crack down on off-shore abuses today came from Scandinavia, Switzerland, Brazil, and India, where finance minister Arun Jaitley warned that those who failed to respond to an amnesty on hidden assets last year will find “such adventurism extremely costly”. Mossack Fonseca said it does not “foster or promote illegal acts” and insisted in an odd turn of phrase that the “vast majority” of firms registered were for legitimate purposes. The 10 banks that requested the most offshore companies for clients More than 500 banks, their subsidiaries and branches registered nearly 15,600 shell companies with Mossack Fonseca, according to ICIJ’s analysis. HSBC and its affiliates created more than 2,300 in total. Source: The Panama Papers Read more “We believe there’s an international campaign against privacy. Privacy is a sacred human right that is being eroded more and more in the modern world. Each person has the right to privacy, whether they are a king of a beggar,” it said. It is unclear why some world leaders, or members of their family, are posted on the ICIJ’s rogue’s gallery as somehow implicated in the affair. The Argentine leader Mauricio Macri, the King of Saudi Arabia, and a sister of the former King of Spain are all flagged, yet the supporting documents do not suggest that they have done anything wrong. Critics say there is a risk of a witchhunt and vigilante publicity. Yet what seems clear is that off-shore finance will never be the same again after these revelations. “The Panama Papers seem to confirm the evidence from elsewhere that the world’s corrupt elite are gaming the international financial system to launder and protect their stolen wealth,” said Robert Barrington from Transparency International. Few would disagree. BRIEF What is a tax haven? The basics Tax havens are countries or regions where personal and business taxes are likely to be very low, or even non-existent. As a result, these countries often attract individuals and companies who are seeking to pay less tax than they would at home. Businesses may move their headquarters to a tax haven, or individuals choose to live there for some or all of the year, to qualify for the lower tax regime. Tax competition Some countries or jurisdictions construct tax legislation with the explicit intention of becoming "havens" for those seeking to avoid tax in their own countries. This gives rise to "tax competition" between nations eager to get businesses to set up within their borders. Secrecy jurisdictions The term "tax haven" does not only refer to countries with low tax rates. It can also be used to describe regimes where financial information is kept secret. This is where jurisdictions choose not to share financial information relating to businesses and individuals with authorities elsewhere. The Tax Justice Network defines "secrecy jurisdictions" as countries which "use secrecy to attract illicit and illegitimate or abusive financial flows".
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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