Greek prosecutors seek assistance from Panama in leaks probe
Greece’s financial prosecutors are set to ask for judicial authorities in Panama to provide them with information as part of an investigation into the Greeks who have been identified by the so-called Panama Papers as having involvement in offshore firms and trusts.
The move comes after a database of documents relating to more than 200,000 offshore accounts was posted online on Monday the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The documents list more than 200,000 shell companies, foundations and trusts set up in more than 20 tax havens around the world.
Apart from the request for cooperation from Panama, prosecutors Panagiotis Athanasiou and Galinos Bris have also ordered authorities to search the homes and workplaces of Greeks named in the leaked documents.
Leaks from the Panama Papers, named after the Mossack Fonseca law firm's central American home base, have embarrassed some leading politicians and businessmen around the world with their chronicling of a shadowy world of offshore holdings and hidden wealth.
The list published on Monday by the ICIJ contains 223 firms and 400 people that have direct links to Greece. Their inclusion on the list does not automatically mean they are guilty of any offenses as involvement in an offshore firm is not illegal under Greek law.
