PACC Event: Commentary on the Panama Papers
I happily accepted an invitation by the Panamanian American Chamber of Commerce to briefly speak on the Panama Papers at their last networking event. The event, appropriately entitled "Commentary on the Panama Papers," was sponsored by the Carolina Ale House and Ron Abuelo. There were many points of discussion, all of which I crammed into a fifteen minute conversation, but all in all I thought my comments were well received. In fact, I was very much delighted to see the huge amount of interest everyone had in the topic and relished the opportunity to clarify Panama's well-documented stance on international transparency and correct [...]
The Panama Papers: What You Don’t Know
The Panama Papers: A trove of documents leaked from a Panamanian law firm brought the offshore world right to your doorstep. The published files -- 11.5 million of them -- exposed the secret financial dealings of some prominent figures and revealed webs of corruption, money laundering and fraud. According to The Economist, the documents show "the offshore holdings of 140 politicians and officials, including 12 current and former presidents, monarchs and prime ministers." In addition, it is alleged that the ill-gotten wealth acquired from transacting with "rogue states, terrorists or drug barons" was hidden behind anonymous corporations with fake directors or shareholders ("nominees"). Close associates to [...]