ICIJ releases second list of Panama Papers; more Pakistanis named

KARACHI: The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on Monday released a second list from Panama Papers, revealing names of popular personalities across the globe for having offshore accounts.

The newly released list has brought forth names of many more Pakistanis.

Umar Cheema, a seasoned investigative journalist associated with The News International, told Geo News that he managed to get more info by digging deep into the data provided by the Panama Papers.

“After discovering address, they needed to be verified. And that is how we managed to get info on 400 more people,” Cheema said, adding that it wasn’t easy to trace the company ownership after getting hold of addresses.

“People involved in such businesses are very smart,” he said. “Owners purchase one company and later convert them into many offshore companies.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Aleem Khan, too, was named to have owned offshore accounts. According to the information available with Cheema, the PTI leader is that company’s chief executive and has his signatures as well.

Cheema doesn’t think the process of these revelations is going to stop anytime soon. “Many new secrets, new names and new companies will be revealed,” he said.

Why can’t I find some names in the database that appeared in the Panama Papers stories?

Leaked confidential documents spanning over nearly 40 years that spell out the extensive use of tax havens by politicians, world leaders and celebrities to launder money and evade taxes through one of the most secretive companies the Panamaian law firm Mossack Fonseca has taken the world by storm.

Many Pakistanis have also been named in their revelations.

The documents identify many Pakistani business tycoons and politicians including late two-time Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as well certain members of the ruling Sharif family (excluding PM Nawaz and his brother Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif) to have use tax havens to hide their wealth.