The Panama Papers: The Miracle of International Capitalism Embraced by Putin & Company

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 4:28pm

A Nice Place to Practice the Fine Art of the Deal

Now that the Cold War is a distant memory, it is wonderful that Wall Street’s miraculous ways can now be exported in a warm global embrace of offshoring sweetheart deals. Arranged using cutting-edge neoliberal techniques, the recently-leaked Panama Papers reveal a world of plundering opportunity that benefit the 1% of Russian plutocrats and other "entrepreneurs":

The hidden wealth of some of the world’s most prominent leaders, politicians and celebrities has been revealed by an unprecedented leak of millions of documents that show the myriad ways in which the rich can exploit secretive offshore tax regimes.

The Guardian, working with global partners, will set out details from the first tranche of what are being called “the Panama Papers”. Journalists from more than 80 countries have been reviewing 11.5m files leaked from the database of Mossack Fonseca, the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm.

www.theguardian.com/...

Go watch the short video at this link to see how it's done: http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/panama-papers-money-hidden-o...

Trickle-down economics at its finest is much better tasted by the exploited/ripped-off masses with the sugar of noblesse oblige. Too bad Putin did not arrange for donations to a large well-placed transnational foundation. That is a price of doing business usually well worth paying. I almost pity Putin for not being well-advised.

Brother, can you spare a dime?

Twelve national leaders are among 143 politicians, their families and close associates from around the world known to have been using offshore tax havens.

A $2bn trail leads all the way to Vladimir Putin. The Russian president’s best friend – a cellist called Sergei Roldugin - is at the centre of a scheme in which money from Russian state banks is hidden offshore. Some of it ends up in a ski resort where in 2013 Putin’s daughter Katerina got married.

Among national leaders with offshore wealth are Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister; Ayad Allawi, ex-interim prime minister and former vice-president of Iraq; Petro Poroshenko, president of Ukraine; Alaa Mubarak, son of Egypt’s former president; and the prime minister of Iceland, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson.

Now let's go back to the regularly-scheduled DC Madame story, and be glad that the U.S. has a squeaky clean presidential candidate who rejects neoliberalism, and the jet-setting financial and mercenary elite it produces and benefits.

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Comments

Submitted by dancingrabbit on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 4:39pm

What I find most interesting about.the Panama Papers

is that, so far, not a single American has
been implicated in this 45-year collection
of 2.6 terabytes of documents, because ...
Americans are so righteous and pure, and
never, ever corrupt.

—

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 4:49pm

It may be a matter of time.

That's a lot of documentation. Note the last jurisdiction listed of the Panamanian law firm involved:

Our product and service portfolio is constantly updated and renewed, enabling the Group to find the appropriate solution for your business. We offer research, advice and services for the following jurisdictions: Belize, The Netherlands, Costa Rica, United Kingdom, Malta, Hong Kong, Cyprus, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Panama, British Anguilla, Seychelles, Samoa, Nevada, and Wyoming (USA).

Submitted by Grannus on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 7:04pm

I wonder

if they will find Cheney down there. Why else would they offer services in Wyoming? Now we know where that missing money for Iraq ended up.

Submitted by Citizen Of Earth on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 8:02am

The Aspens Are Turning. Hahaha.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City hosts dozens of central bankers, policymakers, academics and economists from around the world at its annual economic policy symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

—

Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

Submitted by dance you monster on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 8:48am

Wyoming has the lowest state and local tax rates.

Many wealthy Americans seeking to lower their tax burdens establish primary residences there. It would be the natural place to connect to those seeking tax havens abroad as well.

Submitted by Fentress on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 11:13am

Wyoming

Isn't that where a spitload of actors have moved when they "vant to be uhloaaaaaaaaaaaan"? Or is it Montana?

—

******************************

Muerte al fascismo. Muerte a la tiranía. colapso total de los que promueven tampoco. A la pared con el unico porciento%

Submitted by Alphalop on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 9:54am

There is a qoute about that in the last paragraph of an

article on MarketWatch that was interesting. (Crosses fingers and hopes for a "Clinton" on it... lol!)

—

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

Submitted by Empower Ink on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 3:41pm

Clintons Launder Their Money Through The Family Foundation

That's where Putin made his big mistake. He should have established a global charitable foundation.

—

Submitted by dancingrabbit on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 4:44pm

What I find second most interesting is

that Iceland seems to be quite in the cross-
hairs of the corruption scandal. Iceland,
the only country that did not bail out its
banks and prosecuted and jailed its
corrupt bankers.

—

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

Submitted by Fentress on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 11:27am

Isn't Iceland also...

...demanding it's PM and govt. all stand down and some of them face charges for fraud, theft, etc.?

Well, at least their 99% are SERIOUS about the country REMAINING FOR THE 99%.

Good for them!

—

******************************

Muerte al fascismo. Muerte a la tiranía. colapso total de los que promueven tampoco. A la pared con el unico porciento%

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 4:50pm

It is interesting.

Not sure when the prime minister made his investments, etc.

Submitted by Bollox Ref on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 4:54pm

Big, big story.

Any mention of the Clinton Foundation?

—

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 5:03pm

Not that I know of.

It's a big investigation that may go on for a long time. Drip drip.

Submitted by Bollox Ref on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 5:08pm

My comment was tongue in cheek.. :)

But should the Clintons and their moneymaking get a mention, that would be yuge!!

—

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Submitted by Timmethy2.0 on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 4:55pm

Makes me a little concerned for Edward Snowden

Being stuck in Putin's Country as he is. Of course, for the time being, he's still better off than if he came back home. One more reason to vote for Bernie.

—

Beware the bullshit factories.

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 5:02pm

I'm more concerned with whoever

leaked these Panamanian documents. Snowden shined a light in a different direction so he's probably okay for now.

Submitted by dancingrabbit on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 5:12pm

I liked Moon of Alabama's Twitter observation ...

Moon of Alabama @MoonofA 4h

@billmon1 @adamjohnsonNYC
Funny. All the "bad guys" of the
#PanamaPapers are so far people
or orgs the U.S. somehow dislikes ....

(Sorry, haven't figured out how to
embed tweets on my spyphone yet.)

—

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 5:15pm

But it's our system of financial chicanery.

So far the Wall Street law firms have escaped this degree of disclosure, perhaps because of the ethical rules of lawyers used to hide them.

Submitted by MrJayTee on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 5:22pm

Capital vs Capital

Same as it ever was.

—

“If there is no justice for the people, may there be no peace for the government.”

Submitted by divineorder on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 6:00pm

Here's the tweet embed

@billmon1 @adamjohnsonNYC Funny. All the "bad guys" of the #PanamaPapers are so far people or orgs the U.S. somehow dislikes ...

— Moon of Alabama (@MoonofA) April 3, 2016

—

A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

Submitted by dancingrabbit on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 6:35pm

Thanks, do! /nt

—

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

Submitted by ppnortney on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 2:11pm

Kinda makes you wonder

who the leaker was.

Would love to see a leak-upmanship contest ensue.

—

The smaller the mind the greater the conceit. --Aesop

Submitted by MrJayTee on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 5:23pm

Interesting, thanks!

—

“If there is no justice for the people, may there be no peace for the government.”

Submitted by dancingrabbit on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 5:44pm

Galtisalie, you might want to check out

my comment in this morning's Open
Thread for links to the original.German
paper that broke the story (in English):

http://caucus99percent.com/comment/54091#comment-54091

The original source material goes on
forever, well broken up into digestible
parts.

—

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 6:03pm

Thank you so much.

Will continue to learn.

Submitted by Fentress on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 11:31am

Breaking into parts

The original source material goes on
forever, well broken up into digestible
parts.

I suspect that whoever is releasing the information will hold back a bit longer and dump the US stuff a lot closer to te elections, like just around the time of the two conventions, two big chunks at a time.

—

******************************

Muerte al fascismo. Muerte a la tiranía. colapso total de los que promueven tampoco. A la pared con el unico porciento%

Submitted by katherine919 on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 5:48pm

ONE Panamanian law firm revealed

The best news from this enormous leak is that it may inspire others in other organizations to leak their own dirty dealings. While the initial stories deal with current, sitting national leaders, I am certain there will be earthquakes all over in political circles, once this is all revealed. Iceland's leaders being involved is really sad, and will probably lead to an emergency election.

Submitted by The Wizard on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 6:12pm

Where is the criminal activity?

I read the entire article and it seemed like a hit job. At one point it infers an enormous amount of wealth for Putin and then says that he actually owns none of this, but that people in his circle own it for him. I read that he is guilty of corruption because his daughter had her wedding at a certain ski resort that is owned by someone in Putin's circle. I saw no accusation that laws were broken by any individuals, just suspicious deals.

The immense wealth accumulated by the Oligarchs in Russia happened in the 1990s when neoliberal economics "advisors" from the US told the drunkard Boris Yeltsin to privatize everything and the economy would bloom. This became a fabulously corrupt and dangerous time in Russia when public assets were sold off to thugs for Kopeks on the Ruble. The scams ran something like this. A state owned company would take a loan from a bank, say $100m with the intent of never paying it back. After a few months of no payments the bank would foreclose and sell the company to one of the insider oligarchs for a fraction of the worth. The cash flow from the company was used to create a fabulously wealthy life style for the oligarch. Putin cleaned much of this up. Most of the oligarchs were killed by other oligarchs, were imprisoned or were banished. Some actually cleaned up their acts and they are left today.

What I like to say is that in Russia Putin owns the Oligarchs, in the US it's the exact opposite.

—

Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

Submitted by JuliaW on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 6:52pm

In the meantime

stuff like THIS is ignored:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/the-world-s-favorite-n...

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 8:24pm

With critique such as yours, I do

believe it is possible to gain insights from the exposure of the poor behavior of Russian oligarchs. Here's a similar reply I did at the cross-post at TOP:

Galtisalie MrWebster Apr 03 · 08:16:39 PM
Of course, I'm not posting this piece because of any of those things and with critique such as yours we can sort through this. I'm curious too why the media outlets are leading with the Russia angle and look forward to other segments. I do believe that the Russian oligarchy is an affront to socialism each and every day, as are all capitalist regimes the world over. That's what interests me, whether it's Moscow or Manhattan.

Submitted by JuliaW on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 9:01pm

Well, if ALL capitalist regimes are an affront

then this story that is a whitewash of the Western capitalist imperialists is a huge affront. This "investigation" was directed at those countries under UN sanction, particularly, and has not ONE mention yet of the biggest criminal cabals-those on WS and the City of London.

"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.”"
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2016/04/corporate-media-gatekeep...

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 9:13pm

The corruption unveiled is still corruption.

Ask Rei if he/she's glad that the Icelandic corruption is being exposed and he/she will say yes. That's not a country on the list. I think it would be far better if this were all on Wikileaks. So I share your concerns but won't stop examining what I can.

Submitted by JuliaW on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 9:29pm

I grok the utility of outing corrupt leaders

But if there is no focus on the CAUSE of corruption, the systemic failures to control dirty money,and the banks that enable it, internationally, then what happens is we eventually just trade one corrupt pol for another. As one piece said-it's a shame that the leaker ended up handing it to the people that would be adept at covering for the biggest criminals, focusing on cellists and sports stars, rather than the core criminals and banking institutions, along with the Troika, and other politicized economic enablers. (on that note-seen any new Snowden revelations?)

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 9:38pm

I take your critique very seriously

and will agitate for the full disclosure without corporate media intermediary. Thank you. Solidarity.

Submitted by Fentress on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 11:37am

"But why focus on Russia?"

"But why focus on Russia?"

Hasn't Putin been rattling a lot of sabres about taking back a lot of the "free" territory in speeches at home when he's "home" lately? Maybe this is the document releaser's intention to crash his government and leave Putin no place to flee to and no method to flee?

Maybe I just dreamed it all. Never mind.

—

******************************

Muerte al fascismo. Muerte a la tiranía. colapso total de los que promueven tampoco. A la pared con el unico porciento%

Submitted by Galtisalie on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 6:28pm

I agree the original "investment capital" was part

the privatization rip off schemes. That's theft/unjust gain. Then I saw a lot of obvious fraud in the article as part of the investment deployment. It's an article not an international legal brief. Hard to tell who's getting ripped off specifically from the article, but it's the people who are suffering under the Putin-led oligarchy, and it's a merely variation on the innovative capitalist schemes the world over, including with the U.S. oligarchy. To the extent it's not illegal, that's even scarier.

Submitted by Rei on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 7:47pm

Thank Þór that Sigmundur

Thank Þór that Sigmundur Davíð is in that list, hopefully we can finally get rid of him.

People: Please do not defend Sigmundur Davíð! He the horribly corrupt head of our right-wing government.

If the people of Iceland have anything to say about the issue, he'll be shortly booted out of office. If the government falls, then - according to polls - the pirates will be elected. And then we can finally actually get a first round of voting on the (very progressive) new constitution that the right derailed at the end of the last government's term.

Submitted by Bisbonian on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 12:12am

Who are "the pirates"?

Your context sounds like they might be the good guys.

—

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Submitted by Rei on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 4:36am

Pirate Party

Píratapartýið. And they are the good guys. They're pretty much the opposite of our current government in every regard. Here's their leader: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birgitta_J%C3%B3nsd%C3%B3ttir - you might have heard of her if you've followed the Wikileaks or Snowden cases.

Submitted by Bisbonian on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 10:33pm

Thanks Rei!

Arrrrr, pirates!

—

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Submitted by JuliaW on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 11:36am

Go Pirates!

"A member of the hugely popular and self-styled Robin Hood party of Icelandic politics has said she is “ready” to form a government in the event of a snap election, amid calls for the beleaguered Prime Minister to resign over the leaked Panama Papers. "
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/panama-papers-icelands-pi...

Submitted by Fentress on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 11:40am

Let things RIP, Rei

Blow out the trash and clean away the cobwebs! Makes me wish I had a few cups of Icelander blood flowing through my veins!

Best of fortune to you all!

—

******************************

Muerte al fascismo. Muerte a la tiranía. colapso total de los que promueven tampoco. A la pared con el unico porciento%

Submitted by Rei on Sun, 04/03/2016 - 8:19pm

(No subject)

Submitted by angel d on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 12:11am

It is interesting that Iceland was "targeted"

by whoever managed to buy this data leak and omit US persons and corporations. I can see going after Putin & Assad and some ME sheiks and emirs, but where are the Americans and British??? Iceland scares western interests, they jail their banksters there.

Noticeably absent. This seems orchestrated.

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 12:15am

Nice to see you here angel d!

Who else needs to leave the Daily Clinton?

—

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

Submitted by angel d on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 12:22am

Everyone who isn't a hillbot!

I have a bad feeling about this Panama Papers thing. Not a single US person or corporation has been revealed. It's almost like this is just a major psyops against western interests or something.

I was excited at first, until ... well. Until I realized we've been had!

Submitted by piranha on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 9:47am

the editor of the German paper

when asked about where the North Americans are in this revelation, said "Just wait". Sounds like they might be taking the same approach as the Snowden leaks, revealing things in waves. (I'd put a link here, but it was in a tweet, and I lost track of it). Wikileaks knew this would happen, they announced it just ahead of time (and have intimated they have access to the data). Snowden himself seems to think the leak is a very good thing. So I wouldn't jump to any conclusions yet that we've "been had".

But yeah, I didn't like that the Putin connections were front and center. Not that I don't think he's corrupt to the core. But that's just too easy. At least by now the UK papers have started to point at Cameron and others as well. Maybe it was protective covering, starting with Putin. I do believe we still have honorable journalists on our side.

Submitted by Fentress on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 12:05pm

Piranha read it carefully, and so did I, in parts...

I found chunks of articles in print. The German newspaper editor: "when asked about where the North Americans are in this revelation, said "Just wait". - See more at: http://caucus99percent.com/content/panama-papers-miracle-international-c...."

I slept all weekend and then it seems like I woke up in a new chapter of "earth-monkey diversions, chapter umptyump".. I made a pot of espresso shots and have drunk my way down through two of those as I read along. I hated economics in public school and avoided the courses in university and I didn't know who all the players were, so it took a lot of "looking up" for me.. but wow, when this guy dumps the US stuff, soe heads might actually roll, not figuratively.

Unsettling and a bit scary. There's less visible theatricality about this. It also doesn't feel "mean spirited". It feels almost robotic reading some of the stuff, the intros and commentary. Compared to Wikileaks or any later stuff, this is very well organized and in an oddly stylized emotionless way, extraterrestrial opera.

Feel free to ignore what I've written. You don't know me and I'm kind of as odd as my name. My feelings won't be hurt. I could be very wrong.

—

******************************

Muerte al fascismo. Muerte a la tiranía. colapso total de los que promueven tampoco. A la pared con el unico porciento%

Submitted by gjohnsit on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 12:57am

I'm curious why you singled Putin out

when he's just one of the many crooks here? Why not, for instance, the Saudis?

Submitted by Galtisalie on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 5:51am

It's not because I beleive in singling him out,

as I tried to make clear in my piece and still more in my comments above. Putin was the focal point of yesterday's first major reporting in the UK, and I was using that because that's what I saw at this point. Others are providing valid critique including you. I'm not defensive but rather grateful. Thank you.

Submitted by dancingrabbit on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 3:04am

In the News That's Not Really New News Dept.

Ken Silverstein wrote a piece about Mossack Fonesca in Vice in December 2014, nearly 18 momths ago.

The Law Firm That Works with Oligarchs, Money Launderers, and Dictators

[Mossack Fonesca was] founded in Panama in 1977 by German-born Jurgen Mossack and a Panamanian man named Ramón Fonseca, a vice president of the country's current ruling party, it later added a third director, Swiss lawyer Christoph Zollinger. Since the 70s the law firm has expanded operations and now works with affiliated offices in 44 countries, including the Bahamas, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Brazil, Jersey, Luxembourg, the British Virgin Islands, and—perhaps most troubling—the US, specifically the states of Wyoming, Florida, and Nevada.

Mossack Fonseca, of course, is not alone in setting up shell companies used by the world's crooks and tax evaders. Across the globe, there are vast numbers of competing firms, and many of them register shells that are every bit as shady as Drex. Proof of this includes the case of Viktor Bout, who, in the 1990s, peddled arms to the Taliban through a Delaware-registered shell. More recently, in 2010, a man named Khalid Ouazzani pleaded guilty to using a Kansas City, Missouri, firm called Truman Used Auto Parts to move money for Al Qaeda.

Scattered news accounts and international investigations have pointed to Mossack Fonseca as one of the widest-reaching creators of shell companies in the world, but it has, until now, used an array of legal and accounting tricks that have allowed it and its clients to mostly fly under the radar.
...
But a yearlong investigation reveals that Mossack Fonseca ... has served as the registered agent for front companies tied to an array of notorious gangsters and thieves that, in addition to Makhlouf, includes associates of Muammar Gaddafi and Robert Mugabe, as well as an Israeli billionaire who has plundered one of Africa's poorest countries, and a business oligarch named Lázaro Báez, who, according to US court records and reports by a federal prosecutor in Argentina, allegedly laundered tens of millions of dollars through a network of shell firms, some which Mossack Fonseca had helped register in Las Vegas.

http://www.vice.com/read/evil-llc-0000524-v21n12

This is actually a pretty good article for those who want an explainer/refresher on just what shell companies are and how they are set up.

My question is: Why are shell companies not illegal or at least heavily regulated under US law?

—

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

Submitted by Galtisalie on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 5:54am

Thank you very much.

I was just putting forth the story that came out yesterday, with the best contextual analysis I could briefly come up with. You and others are greatly improving on my humble effort.

Submitted by dancingrabbit on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 3:45am

Got curious about the German paper

that published the Panama Papers.

From Wikipedia:

The Süddeutsche Zeitung ... (German for Newspaper of Southern Germany), published in Munich, [2] is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper.

On 6 October 1945, [3][4] five months after the end of World War II in Germany, the SZ was the first newspaper to receive a license from the U.S. military administration of Bavaria.

[footnote 4]
4. ^ Sigurd Hess (2009). "German Intelligence Organizations and the Media". Journal of Intelligence History 9 (1-2). doi:10.1080/16161262.2009.10555166

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%BCddeutsche_Zeitung

The doi number/link referenced in footnote 4 led to a "DOI Not Found" page. Hmm.

—

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

Submitted by Galtisalie on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 5:59am

I don't trust any of them.

It would much better have gone to Wikileaks, but for some reason the whistleblower went to the corporate media so we are stuck with it for now. I will begin to agitate for full unmediated release, now that I better understand this situation. I knew nothing about the release until I saw it yesterday afternoon in the Guardian story, and thought I should pass it on, and as a radical international democratic socialist, I am always for critique. Thanks.

Submitted by mimi on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 2:30pm

"Die Sueddeutsche Zeitung" is a serious newspaper

and the fact that they could work for so long on it and not release anything so far is a good sign.

I do not think that this is just a "news" story, it's a tsunami leak and I would be very amazed if it will not have major long-term consequences.

I think it's pretty unfortunate that you concentrated on just Putin's role instead of just waiting a little bit longer and find out that this is not just targetted attack from some criminals towards other criminals. As they said "Just wait".

I am happy that "Die Sueddeutsche Zeitung" has been a coordinator of a massive investigative journalism endeavour. "Die Sueddeutsche Zeitung" I consider in its quality and seriosity to the weekly "Die Zeit". They are not propaganda spewing outlets.

I just scanned MB's story over at TOP. A Storm is coming, that's all I see so far directly from the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Here some coverage from Canada in English:
Big names implicated in Panama Papers offshore banking leak
Lionel Messi, Jackie Chan, several current and former world leaders among names revealed

It's way too early to make judgments, imo.

—

https://www.euronews.com/

Submitted by Galtisalie on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 5:19pm

Sounds good.

I was relaying what I saw with caveats. Please see my above comments.

Submitted by dance you monster on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 8:55am

The Suddeutsche Zeitung . . .

. . . is of all the major mainstream German newspapers the one that has been modestly left-leaning. If you wanted this leak to appear to be on the level, a piece of muckraking investigation and not a plant of those in charge of the neoliberal order, the Suddeutsche would be the paper you'd want.

Submitted by dancingrabbit on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 6:53am

Craig Murray has a really good take on

the "Panama Papers" leak, which is well worth reading.

Corporate Media Gatekeepers Protect Western 1% From Panama Leak

Whoever leaked the Mossack Fonseca papers appears motivated by a genuine desire to expose the system that enables the ultra wealthy to hide their massive stashes, often corruptly obtained and all involved in tax avoidance. These Panamanian lawyers hide the wealth of a significant proportion of the 1%, and the massive leak of their documents ought to be a wonderful thing.

Unfortunately the leaker has made the dreadful mistake of turning to the western corporate media to publicise the results. In consequence the first major story, published today by the Guardian, is all about Vladimir Putin and a cellist on the fiddle. As it happens I believe the story and have no doubt Putin is bent.

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.

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?

UPDATE

Hundreds of thousands of people have read this post in the 11 hours since it was published –despite it being overnight here in the UK. There are 235,918 “impressions” on twitter (as twitter calls them) and over 3,700 people have “shared” so far on Facebook, bringing scores of new readers each.

I would remind you that this blog is produced free for the public good and you are welcome to republish or re-use this article or any other material freely anywhere without requesting further permission.

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/

—

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

Submitted by Galtisalie on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 8:07am

That is an awesome statement.

Thank you very much.

Submitted by sillia on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 9:58am

Maybe someone will leak the leak...?

The dirty secrets of western corporations will remain unpublished.

Submitted by mimi on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 2:38pm

well, I hope Craig Murray, whoever that is, will be proven

wrong. That thing might not be controllable anymore.

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.

Before that would really happen, there would be blood, imo. So, why not wait and see and search some more.

—

https://www.euronews.com/

Submitted by UntimelyRippd on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 2:52pm

I actually know Craig Murray.

Several years ago, he was the British Ambassador to Uzbekistan -- the youngest ambassador in the British FO at the time.

When he started making a bit too much noise about the cozy relationship of the British and US intelligence services' with the tyrannical Uzbeki dictatorship, he was hounded out of office, partially via a planted media campaign. He knew the Uzbek government was torturing Muslim dissidents, which was bad enough ... when he learned that the British government was paying for the information that was extracted, that was when he started agitating.

He's something of a larger-than-life character, which made it that much easier to plant scandalous headlines about him -- for example, he cheated on his wife with an Uzbeki lapdancer he met while out clubbing (the Murrays eventually divorced, and when he returned to the UK, the lapdancer came with him).

He eventually received a six-figure settlement for wrongful termination, or whatever. He blew a big chunk of the money running for parliament against a member of Blair's Cabinet -- the Foreign Secretary I think.

—

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

Submitted by UntimelyRippd on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 3:05pm

It looks like he might have re-titled his

memoir of his days in Uzbekistan. Originally, it was called Murder in Samarkand, but apparently it is now called Dirty Diplomacy: The Rough-and-Tumble Adventures of a Scotch-Drinking, Skirt-Chasing, Dictator-Busting and Thoroughly Unrepentant Ambassador Stuck on the Frontline of the War Against Terror.

You can find it at amazon. Here are some blurbs:

"A fearless book by a fearless man. Craig Murray tells the truth whether the 'authorities' like it or not. I salute a man of integrity." -- Harold Pinter

"I enjoyed reading it, between shudders...It really is a remarkable achievement." -- Noam Chomsky

"This book is fantastic...[like] a very funny version of a Graham Greene novel." -- Michael Winterbottom

"The Uzbek people know only one word for Craig Murray: hero." -- Mohammad Salih, Uzbek opposition leader

—

Submitted by mimi on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 3:25pm

oh, if even Chomsky sez the book is a remarkable

achievement, I guess, I should trust his judgment and just get it ... Thanks.

—

https://www.euronews.com/

Submitted by UntimelyRippd on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 2:57pm

Cool, check this out:

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/books/murder-in-samarkand/radio-play/

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Submitted by mimi on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 3:20pm

Oh my, you guys are beyond my paygrade, ok,

I order popcorn, pizza and huddle in some warm blankets and are going to read and listen. Thank You.

Who are all those guys here who know people, a normal little woman would never know. Scary, scary./s

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https://www.euronews.com/

Submitted by UntimelyRippd on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 4:07pm

Not so posh, really

I met him when he was still at university -- one of the least posh universities in the UK.

He was president of the student's union.

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Submitted by JuliaW on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 7:45am

Link to the complete database as available

is here:
http://offshoreleaks.icij.org/

Also, a reddit thread on this that appears to be very good is here:
https://www.reddit.com/live/wp1fvdxxwb45/

Submitted by geebeebee on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 8:14am

Someone at reddit brought this up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/cash-flowed-to-clinton-foundation-a...

Would love to see this entangled with the papers....

Submitted by Galtisalie on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 8:45am

I am shocked!

I never no never expected the Clinton Foundation would be a locus of influence, white-washing, and corruption.

Submitted by pfiore8 on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 9:28am

the big problem with this leak:

what will we do? are there real mechanisms we ordinary people can influence to insure accountability?

before releasing something this massive, i would have looked into the far reaching consequences: if we are completely unable to do anything about this, if there are no consequences, there may be more damage to us in making this public until we had some way to force accountability.

i think this is a missing piece of our strategy: we somehow think just giving people "the truth" will set us all free. it may do just the opposite. because without a real and legitimate push back from us, it makes us even weaker in the face of these revelations.

just thinking out loud here.

—

“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"

Submitted by Galtisalie on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 9:40am

I don't see that, but you are raising an

important issue. I think the release is good and wish it were a total free release as with Wikileaks. But you are right that without a movement it may be buried in the public subconscious.

I will hope Sanders raises it. It needs to be a central part of the "political revolution" ethos, which needs to be globalized to be effective.

Submitted by pfiore8 on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 10:11am

there is so much information

we are drowning in it. we don't have good filters for categorizing and prioritizing. does this get missed, especially when there is so much heat in US over elections ... and not sure in Europe, if we're still panting over terror in Paris and Brussels and waiting for more refugees...

so what does this become? another shoulder shrug? in an almost daily assault of info, much of it important and some of it vital . . . what do we do with it? we have seen, as in the global financial meltdown, that doing nothing only resulted in a bigger bolder monster.

we must do more than release info. and I'm one who used to believe the truth will set us free. until i realized truth is a variable as human beings.

—

“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"

Submitted by dennis1958 on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 11:19am

These video's may be of interest

I ran across these in my wandering.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6XnH_OnpO0 width:420 height:315]
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6xUOF-d9Ig width:420 height:315]

—

With their hearts they turned to each others heart for refuge
In troubled years that came before the deluge
*Jackson Browne, 1974, Before the Deluge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SX-HFcSIoU

Submitted by pfiore8 on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 11:55am

from the Intercept _ legitimizing scandal

Legitimizing bad behavior

i think scandal is the WRONG word. it is legitimizing fraud and criminal behavior, while the inverse happens in our private lives as trans people have to worry about going to a public bathroom or now the attack on the Tiny House movement.

we better get it together before we simply dump info. how are we going to use it???

—

“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"

Submitted by shaharazade on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 2:15pm

Thanks for the link pf8

I agree with you take on legitimizing fraud and criminal behavior. This is globalized oligarchical collectivism with the US protecting their 'interest' rather then ours. I am kind of leery when the 'leek' seem to so politically focused on Putin and other players but does not reveal any US hanky panky. In the US these bankster crooks are not criminals, they own the government. Look at Holder my god his law firm was the mouthpiece for the worst of the lot. When Obama says these criminals are just savvy businessmen doing god's work you know the corruption is now the law of the land.

Submitted by rezolution on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 11:48pm

Americans “really don’t need to go to Panama.”

Quoted from a story online in the New York Times, April 4, 2016, "Here’s What We Know About the ‘Panama Papers’"

Under the subtitle "Are any Americans named in the leaked documents?"

One reason there may be relatively few Americans named in the documents is that it is fairly easy to form shell companies in the United States. James Henry, an economist and senior adviser to the Tax Justice Network, told Fusion that Americans “really don’t need to go to Panama.”

“Basically, we have an onshore haven industry in the U.S. that is as secretive as anywhere,” he said.

—

⍢

Submitted by lotlizard on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 10:55am

The Panama Papers and Middle East leaders' secret bank accounts

Juan Cole shines some light on the non-Putin players the Western MSM so far appear to be ignoring.
http://www.juancole.com/2016/04/the-panama-papers-and-middle-east-leader...

Initial reporting on the trove identified among the major political figures from the Middle East to possess such accounts were Alaa Mubarak (son of the deposed dictator), Ayad Allawi (former interim Iraqi prime minister under American occupation), Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif, and Saudi King Salman.
. . .

Given the lack of distinction in Saudi Arabia between state wealth and the personal fortune of the absolute monarch, it is no surprise if King Salman has a lot of money in secret bank accounts. You wonder if the revelation will have any repercussions inside the kingdom (certainly it is unlikely to be openly reported).

Likewise, hundreds of Israeli firms and stockholders were linked to these secret accounts. Again, it is not illegal to have an offshore account if one pays taxes on the money, but it is at least suspicious and worth looking into. Among Israelis who showed up with such an account was Dov Weisglass, former advisor to prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert (the latter convicted of corruption). Of Weisglass I wrote in 2007,

“Of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, already growing last winter, Israeli adviser to the prime minister’s office Dov Weisglass joked, “It’s like an appointment with a dietician. The Palestinians will get a lot thinner, but won’t die.” Of course they will. Anything that makes the healthy thinner has the potential of killing the sick and the very young.”

Weisglass was involved in blockading Gaza, in which the Israeli military, in the creepiest way imaginable, actually figured how many calories Palestinians there would be allowed so as to keep them on the edge of starvation but not actually have them die.

It is incredible that Israeli officials are waging such a vicious campaign against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement aimed at punishing Israel for its flouting of international law in the Occupied Territories, when Israel practices a deadly form of BDS against the Palestinians.

That Weisglass, a central figure in the blockade of children (half of Gaza’s residents are children), lives it up with a secret offshore Caribbean account is why it is necessary to believe in hell. It is not like there is justice up here.

Submitted by JuliaW on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 11:49am

Breaking!!

"Iceland's Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson announced his resignation on Tuesday amid mounting public anger over evidence that he and his wife owned a secretive offshore company called Wintris, which managed millions of dollars of investments in three Icelandic banks that collapsed during the 2008 financial crisis."

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2016/04/sigmundur-gunnlaugsson-iceland-p...

Submitted by Fentress on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 12:10pm

Well, for Iceland

..that's a start. They going to pay taxes on the stuff as if it hadn't been offshore, or just turn most of it over to a provisional govt.?

—

******************************

Muerte al fascismo. Muerte a la tiranía. colapso total de los que promueven tampoco. A la pared con el unico porciento%