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 The dirty secrets of western corporations will remain unpublished.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.
CIA’s backburning Unaoil. Wisner’s Wurlitzer will be setting up synthetic scandals until you can’t keep the real dirt straight.
Unaoil’s the regime-changer.
If there’s one thing that the “western 1%” have that the BRICs et al might not have. That is the power of litigation. When you tackle the 1% on your home turf you better have good legal representation. I’m not defending the lack of attack/effort, I just think it might be a bit early to say they’re ignoring it. You can say Vladimir Putin is hiding his money, he’s not gonna sue an English newspaper….but 2TB+ of data, takes a bit of time to really research and fact check. If it’s still this way in a month, ok, but just give it time. I’m saying this because I just saw “Spotlight” last week…
Fair comment, that. But I think the story will have faded before then. Two weeks from now… this story will be lost in the shadows!
Or it might spark a revolution. Who knows?
I mean, IF the data released does not follow some hidden agenda.
Spotlight? Please explain.
That would be the film that won the Academy award for best film at the most recent Oscars. As per wikipedia:
“The film follows The Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” team, the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative journalist unit in the United States, and its investigation into cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotlight_%28film%29
[Mods: Link refers to this story – http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/04/turkey_megaleak/
The leaked info appears to contain names, addresses and ID numbers of more than 49 million citizens. If confirmed the leak would become one of the biggest privacy breaches, by number of records, ever.
The leaked info weighs in at 6.6GB uncompressed and is searchable.
Those behind the leak imply that it was politically motivated, aimed against Turkey’s controversial president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The purportedly leaked data is online at http://185.100.87.84/ and El Reg advises readers to tread with care before downloading the torrent linked from that page. On the page is what appears to be some of President Erdoğan’s personal information, along with that of his predecessor, Abdullah Gül, and the current prime minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoğlu.
]
http://185.100.87.84/
Glenn Greenwald has weighted in on the story: https://theintercept.com/2016/04/04/a-key-similarity-between-snowden-leak-and-panamapapers-scandal-is-whats-been-legalized/
weighed in
Because they did not go after your pet-enemy on day-one of their publication pattern you assume a conspiracy top hide the facts? Isn’t that a bit quick to judge?
Agreed. This leak is immense. Anybody who looked at WikiLeaks knows that the availability of data is only the beginning. Making sense of it, teasing out relationships and meanings, is where the real work is. And Mossack Fonseca dwarfs WikiLeaks. It’ll be generating headlines for years.
Further, while it’s reasonable to wonder how independent media outfits really are, it’s a good sign that the German press seems to have a central role in managing the data. If it were in the hands of, say, the New York Times or the Washington Post, we’d know for a fact that all kinds of culling is going on.
Are you kidding me? The German press is awful and mostly adheres to exactly the kind of thing that you would expect from the papers you mentionned. The main papers basically all have some sort of connection to the “Atlantikbrücke” which is basically a club that makes sure US politicies/view are reflected in the reporting.
There’s some papers even – like the boulevard paper “Die Bild” – that make you sign a contract to not hurt US/Israel interests if you want to work for them.
How the German press operates is described by veteran German journalist Udo Ulfkotte in his book Gekaufte Journalisten [Bought-Off Journalists]. The English translation Journalists for Hire: How the CIA Buys the News is scheduled to be published on June 1.
Here is Amazon’s summary of the book:
you’ve told us that about a dozen times by now.
by the way, who is publlshing it in the US?
publishing
Interestingly, “Atlantikbrücke” means exactly the same thing as “Atlantic Bridge”. Different countries, different languages, same function, same title, no originality.
your point?
and why is a straightforward translation “interesting”?
The BBC’s already commented that David Cameron’s father is named, so this story is not entirely true.
Cameron’s (dead) father was implicated In tax avoidance years ago – it isn’t actually news.
Good catch, Fred, and interesting in connection with this:
http://journal-neo.org/2016/04/03/the-cloak-and-dagger-inside-the-kerry-briefcase/
The link I posted to the leaked database seems to have vanished 🙂
Cui Bono? Fonseca? Hmm. When lawyers appear to do good I want to know why.
Holy moly. This thread started last night and I saw page 5 thinking it was number 1.
POOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTIIINNNNNNNNNNNNN !!!!
lol.
Craig you know how to beat the bushes and draw the flies.
I don’t know about the other media companies but in the Snowden case, didn’t Guardian take the people’s side (so to speak)? They had a major role to play in the case, didn’t they? Or at the least the one Green.. journalist whose name now escapes me.
Thankyou you made NZ too.
Hm, at least in one of Germany’s biggest newspaper two of the largest western corpoartions are being addresses, Siemens and Deutsche Bank: http://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article153958632/Geldwaescheskandal-betrifft-auch-deutsche-Banken-und-Siemens.html
Until they have a tape recording of Bibi Netanyahu laughing about laundering the proceeds of organ harvesting of Palestinians in a Rothschild bank based in the Chagos Islands under the name A. Blair they will be crying cover-up.
🙂
Something else Glenn Greenwald says today is that Charlie Hebdo has dropped its mask. Charlie Hebdo Blames Presence of Muslims for Brussels Attacks:
Yeah, that’s almost literally the opposite of what the editorial in question says. Here, read for yourself: https://charliehebdo.fr/en/edito/how-did-we-end-up-here/
I read it, and the article I linked to seems to me to be an accurate summary. The article, as I read it, says terrorist events can happen because Europeans have been intimidated out of having their natural hostile reactions to peaceful practising Muslims.
Serve pork or go to jail…..
Well spotted, Martinned, I was about to write the same myself.
Perhaps you have not been following this blog long enough to realise that Lysias is not always – let us say 🙂 – entirely accurate when giving the gist of the contents of the links he provides.
I remember I had to correct him once on something he reported on from a Spanish language magazine article (but perhaps he just “misunderstood” the Spanish 🙂 )
Glenn Greenwald retweets:
and having been shown up by Martinned, here’s a quick change of subject again….. 🙂
Thank you Craig , unfortunately this will prove to be very prophetic !
As soon as I heard the BBC news mention the names Assad, Putin and some bloke from Iceland . . you could see where it was all heading. Eleven million files . . and they inform us of the bleeding obvious. Ah well, power and politics, huh! 😉
The Putin angle is the anchor of the piece.
The fact that the US is not a country listed on The Guardian’s display–and they’ve banned comments on these articles–only brings attention to its absence. How are we to interpret the fact that no American or American corporation is indicted by this leak? Are we to surmise that the US doesn’t engage in such criminality? Or was there a decision to withhold the information?
As I recall, The Guardian and others also did not publish the list of wealthy Americans whom HSNC assisted in tax avoidance schemes. Nor was HSBC ever prosecuted by the DOJ for some odd reason. Do I detect a plot? I wanted to know who these people were and if the IRS went after them. I wanted to know what kind of deals the IRS gave them, or if they went after them at all. If they got a deal, then I should get a deal on my back taxes. Shouldn’t I?
My goodness. If this isn’t enough to make you rush out to the voting booth and vote for Bernie Sanders, then you are just dumb and deserve lifelong peonage.
Bernie Sanders is your answer???? Bernie sanders is just an older, male, and slightly less corrupt version of hillary clinton. yeah….good luck with that. Lifelong peonage is exactly what you’ll have with ANY democrat. O.o
I hope the names and the info leaks out in the sort of chunks people will take in. But let the floodgates of information open.
As it happens I believe the story and have no doubt Putin is bent. Imaginably a look-see astern of the arrow of time might give us some insight into this drama. By crystal ball gazing we recognize from 1989 the ‘bent’ Western banksters ‘selected’ an OK few of many notorious Russian oligarchs to oversee a hidden corrupt predatory capitalism to finalize the outright theft of all major assets and natural resources from the Russian people.
Boris Yeltsin was grimly aware ‘a deal had been made with the devil’ to plunder the USSR, nevertheless he knew that in the future stewardship of Vladimir Putin, Russia would be “protected” while Mikhail Gorbachev glimpsed a vision of a very special relationship that would exist between the now big three BRICS nations. President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would share a unique bond in the form of mutual respect for each others’ profound spiritual orientation.
Then as now with the Syria Greater Israel project, the CIA-Coordinated Ukraine Coup d’etat, the Mossack Fonseca papers, these ‘black ops’ ‘Company’ schemes will all fail – The crooked Russian oligarchs have taken flight to London, Tel Aviv and New York City while Putin inexorably and irreversibly consolidates Russian state power to administer the Kremlin’s will.
The Anglo-American Axis, as well as the European Union, NATO, among many other institutional entities which constitute the Global Control Matrix are now fire-fighting bankruptcy and decline. They have become fearful of public intuition and discernment. They are today more dangerous and view control via martial law; note well ‘residential centers’ in America and ’empty’ military establishments in the UK will house whistle-blowers, dissenters, protesters, rebels and importantly born leaders such as Craig Murray.
Ahead of the arrow of time is extremely ugly while the future of the human race greatly depends upon your cohesion.
Yes. It’s all in the playbook. Congress approved, clinton signed legislation that repealed the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. It deregulates banking, insurance, securities, and the financial services industry, allowing financial institutions to grow very large. It also limits Community Reinvestment Coverage of smaller banks and makes community groups report certain financial relationships with banks. 2008 melt a direct result preceded by the dress rehearsal of dot coms and their bubble.
Oh yeah that was 1998. But most, (as zeitgeist hereabouts shows) can only see the surface. The multi-demensional triangulations discourage all but the most persistent pursuers…..and don’t forget the prestidigitation of public perception…..”No! Look over here….Putin….see?)
I first read of this in the Guardian this morning. I read several articles there. Funny thing was the information regarding Putin was on several pages i.e. they were mightily pushing that narrative. My first thought then was exactly as you have described in this blog, Craig. This will be used to political purposes by MSM and will go no further than that. Crooks, corrupt, bent, robbers and all this already stinks to high heaven and the Guardian has advertised it on its pages already for anyone with the capacity to read. This is going to be a political campaign waged by the MSM against all that is decent.
P.S. Not one of the Guardian articles connected to this has its comments section open. Tells you all you need to know. They control the narrative.
So why didnt you stop the Soros and Rockefeller NGO’s when you were active. Why didnt you let the world know whats going on? Why didnt you do your job, keeping damage away from your country and people?
I dont know whats worse? To be sheep that doesnt know about Soros and the others plans or to know about it and open your mouth when its much to late?
Everybody can see what the purpose of this campaign is if he knows that these NGOs are in it and what their agenda is. We need to spread the word more.
Talk in every microphone you can find, make youtube videos, do comments in the online news. Storm the live shows. EVERYONE MUST KNOW.
“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.”
______________________
First off Craig excellent article.
Secondly you were spot on about scapegoating, BBC World Service, ran a interview condeming Iceland’s prime minister. Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, is alleged to have had hidden wealth in offshore (Panama firm)accounts, through banks bonds. Leaked documents claim he and his wife used firm to buy bank bonds when Iceland’s financial system collapsed.
Meanwhile David Cameron is under pressure to reveal if his family still has cash in tax havens after it was revealed his late father Ian ran an investment fund that never had to pay tax in Britain.
It’s interesting to think the rich and in some case the famous will now be wondering if their position is compromised, the scramble for parachutes will have begun.
Cameron’s Wikpedia entry has a whole section on Cameron’s family connections to finance:
Lysais.
Thank you for that snippet on the finanicial antics of the Cameron lineage.
Although I have no love whatsoever for David Cameron, I won’t pass judgement just yet, lets see the paperwork first.
I agree with Craig on the points, that we know Russia and China are corrupt, and the media are relentless at pointing that out.
However as Craig mentioned lets see if the Western press are relentless in pursuing Western leaders, politicians, business men and celebrities over corruption. Which brings us full circle to David Cameron and his fathers financial matters.
I for one am highly sceptical that any inroads will be made, oh a few minor scapegoats will be thrown to the masses to appease them,but thats it I’m afraid.
That Wikipedia extract provided by Lysias appears very “J*w-heavy, does it not?
Would I be spoiling the fun if I pointed out that most of Mr Cameron’s ancestors are not J**ish?
Like the media has concealed AMERICA INJUSTICE IGNORED.
The story of American Injustice Ignored… this letter was sent to the Pennsylvania Governor, Legislature, Courts and Federal Senators and Representatives last week. It documents the reason that Americans witness injustice on video YET, it goes unaddressed. As in Kids for Cash, Ferguson, Sandusky, the Nationwide Foreclosure Crisis.
The issue is fully documented at http://www.work2bdone.com
My involvement was necessary. It was the only way I was going to survive their injustice. I researched it and found the needle in the haystack of American Injustice.
This might make a nice compliment to the Panama Papers.
The absolute undeniable denial of ALL civil rights, ALL constitutional rights, ALL human rights, Life and Liberty with NO protection of the law, NO due process or procedure; AND deliberate judicial actions without hearings or evidence to further create chaos and which sabotage my case and attempt to prevent me from addressing the matters.
Using every available resource, the Montgomery County District Attorney and the entire Montgomery County judiciary have terrorized my life for ten (10) years, stolen everything I own, compromised my liberty and freedom, and threaten to continue with unrelenting and aggressive malice.
The issues I have faced for the last 10 years and which I am currently facing require the attention of the Governor, Attorney General and the General Assembly.
This includes all Senators and Representatives, not just Senator Chuck McIlhinney and Representatives Kathy Watson, Marguerite Quinn and Todd Stephens. I have met with them and others to inform them of the Constitutional problem I have encountered and which has become inescapable. Senator Greenleaf has neglected the matter for 10 years.
It is my case which has also ensnared Attorney General Kathleen Kane. AG Kane is fully aware of the matter, BUT SHE HAS BEEN ORDERED BY ‘SECRET ORDERS FROM UNIDENTIFIED COURTS’ to personally neglect the responsibilities of her office. The OAG has failed to act where required on every Appeal without explanation. Rule 721 Notice of Challenge to the Constitutionality of a law. There are three pending currently.
The essential problem. The bad law was enacted by the Supreme Court. Because the law mandates Confidentiality and Non-disclosure where the integrity of the courts are concerned… The Supreme Court cannot undo their IMPROPER act. IMPROPER because Article 5 Section 10c only gives rulemaking authority when the rule does not affect CONSTITUTIONAL rights.
The ‘bad law’ is the Confidentiality law. It is preventing its own removal.
The General Assembly has the only authority to suspend a law. It is necessary that they suspend the law, so the courts can be rectified.
My case is the undiscussed part of the Montgomery County efforts against the Attorney General.
I have been living without any protection of the law and without any Constitutional rights since 2007. The judiciary cannot correct their own injustice. As such, it continues. As I persevere and try to survive, Montgomery County has been aggressive towards my lawful and legal efforts. All explained on http://www.work2bdone.com/live
The current false charges haven’t followed any law OR procedure. All Constitutional rights have been ignored. The latest being the right to a speedy trial. This has happened at the point where without hearings I have been forced to have a Public Defender. There was no hearing or evidence regarding that decision. But, with an attorney, I can also no longer file statements with the court to assert my rights and expose the wrongdoing. The courts have attempted to now take my voice.
I understand that no one wants to believe that an American in Pennsylvania can be denied their rights and left without recourse. I assure you this is NOT my imagination. The failure of government leaders to respond demonstrates that this improperly enacted Confidentiality law undermines the government and the US Constitution.
A lawyer has likely told you to ignore it with no further explanation. They are protecting the American Bar Association who presented their unethical and unconstitutional Model Rules gradually to each state, 1983 to 2009. The ABA effort was intentional, informed and deliberate treason. Making it illegal for lawyers to disclose ‘what broke’ has been effectively undermining the law and Constitution for over 30 years.
Attorney General Kane cannot speak until her hearing. By law she may expose the improper law in a courtroom when defending herself. BUT NOT BEFORE. So MontCo has delayed her hearing to the very last possible date August 8.
I would appreciate the opportunity to explain the issue and answer any questions. Every statement I make is fact and I have the supporting documentation to demonstrate everything.
A meeting would be appreciated.
The courts can be fixed… By removing one bad law. All the other laws work. The laws are simply being ignored and actions unexplained because of an inappropriate Confidentiality law which even prevents the lawyers and courts from indicting the problem with Confidentiality is confidential.
Thank you,
Terance Healy
My sympathies. Craig may want you to take discussion to older thread, but your synopsis is not that unusual in family law court.
The Courts are gender-biased to an evil degree. I have a neighbor going through a similar scenario and it arises from city/county/state revenue based on income streams from federal social programs. It’s always about money.
Waterboarding is legal in right hands? Hayden says ‘CIA rules’ whitewash enhanced interrogation. Former CIA (and NSA) Director Gen. Michael Hayden says in interview with Al Jazeera that for CIA to waterboard under its rules is not torture, and is “completely different” from if Assad’s Syrian government were to waterboard.
No wonder no U.S. people are identified in these Panama Papers stories.
what has the one to do with the other?
Could Lysias please explain for the benefit of those of us less experienced for seeing conspiratorial links? 🙂
Oh stop asking stupid questions and wasting time.
How about asking more rhetorical questions that you won’t be able to answer?
How about giving the purpose of the rhetorical questions a few minutes’ thought?
Malta and Argentina haven’t been quite so reticent about their tax-avoiders. Maybe they don’t have a legal system?
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/62885/panama_database_shows_fenech_firm_in_mossack_fonseca_company_creation
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Mauricio-Macri-Implicated-in-Massive-Offshore-Tax-Haven-Scandal-20160403-0026.html
To name but two.
(I’d take a cautious punt on Mandelson being one of ours. )
Does anyone have a legal system? Oh wait….
Thank you. From the bottom of this old Alaskan woman’s heart.
There is a rather interesting article on this in the Business section of the Washington Post. Nothing to see here, just the biggest global corruption scandal in history. Not in the print paper, but it is on the home page of WaPo’s Web site, at least now. It’s possible it was there when I looked before, but I didn’t notice it, because the title says nothing about Panama. I could only find it by doing a word search on the site for “Panama”.
Hrm, BHP Biliton is being discussed: http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/04/bhp-owned-companies-triggered-high-risk-alert-at-panama-law-firm
UK and NZ tax offices are asking after the data: http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/04/uk-tax-officials-hmrc-seek-access-to-huge-leak-of-mossack-fonseca-papers
These supposed “corporate media gatekeepers” don’t seem to be protecting the “massive western corporations or western billionaires” very well. Your claims are overblown, Craig.
Yes. I was confounded yesterday when I saw not one US name on the list. Shame shame. I hope the truth emerges. It would be interesting to know how many corporations and US individuals are looking for a better hiding place right now.
There will be massive cover-ups and I doubt if any really rich people will be named, even less prosecuted for tax avoidance.
What is ‘legal’? what does that mean? Interestingly, before his death in 2010,David Cameron’s father made use of Panama, no doubt it was all strictly legal and above board…………….
disgraceful