It started with a single, encrypted message to the Suddeutsche Zeitung,

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

http://techcrunch.com/2016/04/03/documents-leaked-from-a-panamanian-law-firm-reveal-a-global-web-of-corruption/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000591

It started with a single, encrypted message to the Suddeutsche Zeitung, and what it has become is, quite simply, the biggest leak of private documents yet seen on the Internet.


All day, the Internet has been abuzz with stories culled from the “Panama Papers” — roughly 2.6 terabytes of documents, related to hundreds of thousands of offshore companies, leaked from a small, relatively unknown Panamanian law firm called Mossack Fonseca.

While the Panama-based firm’s name may be unrecognizable to many, its client list links to politicians, celebrities, athletes, and organizations that have been at the center of global scandals.

Among the stories to hit the papers based on revelations from the Panama Papers are pieces on Vladimir Putin’s $1 billion in offshore holdings; the Prime Minister of Iceland’s shady dealings with a private company, which served as a tax haven for his private wealth; and no corruption scandal would be complete without mentioning international soccer’s governing body, FIFA, whose members also appear in the documents.

German authorities had known about the connection between Mossack Fonseca and some criminal elements for at least two years. A whistleblower at the firm had sold information to the authorities, according to the story in the Suddeutsche Zeitung on the history of the Panama Papers’ leak.

As part of the investigation several European banks were fined and some information was shared with authorities around the world.

But the current leak dwarfs anything that has been seen before including WikiLeaks State Department cables and Edward Snowden’s NSA revelations. Working with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the Munich paper has marshaled the resources of at least 100 reporters from news outlets around the world to comb through the documents and uncover what they can.

In a video describing the leak, Bastian Obermayer, of the Suddeutsche Zeitung’s investigative team, said that Le Monde, the BBC, and The Guardian are also involved.

“I would say, first observation, it’s a lot more promising than even some of the more, other projects that we’ve done that have turned out to be very, very big,” said Gerard Ryle, a director at the ICIJ.

Here’s a breakdown from the BBC on what the documents contain:

Eleven million documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca have been passed to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, which then shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. BBC Panorama is among 107 media organisations in 78 countries which have been analysing the documents. The BBC doesn’t know the identity of the source
They show how the company has helped clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax
Mossack Fonseca says it has operated beyond reproach for 40 years and never been accused or charged with criminal wrong-doing
Information from the documents reveal business dealings of some of the world’s most notorious dictators, autocrats, and authoritarians including former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, Libya’s toppled dictator, Muammar Gaddafi and Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad.

“The sheer number of people involved is becoming clear to us,” says Frederik Obermaier, from the Suddeutsche Zeitung’s investigative group. “There are dictators, members of the Japanese Yakuza mafia, the Sicilian mafia, the Russian mafia, weapons dealers, drug dealers, and pedophiles. You start to feel a little nervous when you realize this one leak is going to expose all of them… and that it all started at the Suddeutsche Zeitung.”

O' no, not the much heralded and praised leaders( by our dem/lib/media) of socialist/communist paradises!
Just when we were about to realize what great humanitarian and everybody is equal Nirvana's they were.

Say it ain't so....
Not these gods and their paradises that our dem/lib/leftist idiots cry we emulate.. :laugh:--Tyr

[Drummond]

This also promises to be one hell of a muckraking exercise. Here in the UK, the LEFT is trying to use it all to their advantage (hence Noir's interest, but of course ..). Jeremy Corbyn (Labour: extremist Leftie) is trying to attack our Prime Minister about it ... not least because of an allegation (not yet proven) that David Cameron's father has an offshore, tax-dodging account.

It's said that much of this has been based in the British Virgin Islands ... and there's debate going on as to whether they should be made accountable, in full, for what's held there. There's a threat to bring the British Virgin Islands under direct Westminster rule if they refuse to comply (robbing them of their own 'sovereignty', effectively ...).

[Noir]

This is much bigger than your little 'left and right' tick-boxes Drummond, we can only hope that of clinton/soros deal through Panama that their details have also leaked.

[NightTrain]

This is going to be a monster series of scandals... Iceland's PM just resigned.

[jimnyc]

Any US casualties yet?

[Kathianne]

This just so reminds me of 'Global Climate Change' and the little folks pay, while the rich jet here and there while lecturing the rest of us.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

This is going to be a monster series of scandals... Iceland's PM just resigned.
You can bet your last dollar that certain names and info was withheld in that huge release.
Either for future gain or demands or else recent payments already made.
SINCE PUTIN WAS NAMED IT WASNT RUSSIA DOING IT--THUS LOOKS LIKE IT HAS TO BE TO BE GLOBALIST
ACTION, EVEN TO DESTROY CERTAIN LEADERS THEY WANT DESTROYED.-Tyr

[Drummond]

This is much bigger than your little 'left and right' tick-boxes Drummond, we can only hope that of clinton/soros deal through Panama that their details have also leaked.

If you truly mean what you say, Noir, then I congratulate you.

However .. I still expect you, as this unfolds, to centre your criticisms and attacks on those on the Right.

By all means, though, prove me wrong ....

[NightTrain]

Kofi Annan's son, Vlad Putin, half of the Chinese Commie Bureau...

Heads will roll, and might even spark a revolution or two when the peasants get a glimpse of how they've been shafted mightily for decades. Hell, Putin has over a Billion that they found so far - not bad for a retired Colonel.

And this outfit wasn't even the biggest among offshore setup organizations. I'm thinking they're all doing a security review at this moment.

There's a large amount of very rich and very powerful people producing bricks right about now.

[Drummond]

This also promises to be one hell of a muckraking exercise. Here in the UK, the LEFT is trying to use it all to their advantage (hence Noir's interest, but of course ..). Jeremy Corbyn (Labour: extremist Leftie) is trying to attack our Prime Minister about it ... not least because of an allegation (not yet proven) that David Cameron's father has an offshore, tax-dodging account.

It's said that much of this has been based in the British Virgin Islands ... and there's debate going on as to whether they should be made accountable, in full, for what's held there. There's a threat to bring the British Virgin Islands under direct Westminster rule if they refuse to comply (robbing them of their own 'sovereignty', effectively ...).

This is what I've talked about, for what this is worth here ... in the UK, Corbyn (Socialist) is trying to convert this whole story into a pro-Socialistic power-grab exercise .. strongly advocating direct rule from the UK should the British Virgin Islands not be totally candid about accounts held there.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35965855


The government should consider imposing "direct rule" on British overseas territories and dependencies if they do not comply with UK tax law, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has said.

A huge data leak from Panama-based Mossack Fonseca showed the law firm registered more than 100,000 secret firms to the British Virgin Islands.

Mr Corbyn said their governments must understand the "anger" of Britons.

Downing Street said the UK was "ahead of the pack" on tax transparency.

And our own Prime Minister's family is under Socialist attack ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35967201


Downing Street has said David Cameron, his wife and children do not benefit from offshore funds after questions about his family's tax affairs.

No 10 was forced to issue a statement after Labour called for an inquiry into Britons linked to tax haven allegations - including Mr Cameron's family.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had called on the PM to "set the record straight" and publish his tax returns.

The row centres on an investment fund set up by Mr Cameron's late father Ian.

Such is Leftie slime ... they'll try to not only go for a power grab, but try to push Socialism as a 'cleaner' (yet simultaneously muckraking) form of politics on the back of it. There will be those here who'll happily lap all that up ...

[indago]

Any US casualties yet?

John Cassidy wrote for The New Yorker 5 April 2016:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
After eleven million documents were leaked from the law firm Mossack Fonseca, observers are wondering why the company’s roster of tax dodgers and money launderers does not seem to include more American citizens. ...According to a report by the BBC, Olszewski, a thirty-nine-year-old investment adviser and the author of the book “Live It, Love It, Earn It: A Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom,” also had dealings with Mossack Fonseca. The BBC story alleges that the law firm created an elaborate scheme to help Olszewski retrieve $1.8 million that she had invested in an offshore vehicle, without revealing her identity to the bank that was holding the funds.

...One possible explanation, which we can dismiss immediately, is the notion that this sort of thing couldn’t happen here. To the contrary, the United States is widely recognized as a leading source of offshore money: during the Union Bank of Switzerland tax-evasion scandal, it emerged that, at that bank alone, U.S. clients had almost twenty thousand Swiss-based accounts. ...A more convincing explanation is that the journalists who are researching the leaks are still pursuing American clients of Mossack Fonseca. In fact, we now know this to be the case. On Monday, a piece published by Fusion, one of the U.S. media organizations that has access to the leaked material, said, “So far, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has only been able to identify 211 people with U.S. addresses who own companies in the data (not all of whom we’ve been able to investigate yet). We don’t know if those 211 people are necessarily U.S. citizens.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

article (http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/panama-papers-why-arent-there-more-american-names)

[revelarts]

Any US casualties yet?


seems the leaks in this case.. though detailed .. are limited.
But this is apparently how the international kleptrocracy works in general, been that way for at least decades.

international offshore banks, obscure Caribbean island banks, swiss banks, foundations, the IMF, and the typically big banks all have a hand in keeping the uber rich, the big politicians, and the crime families/network's companies and moneys hidden and clean.

it's not a partisan thing or a foreign vs american thing it's a money thing.

every now and then a few leaks bubble up and there. Then faux outrage and the appropriate " I'm shocked SHOCKED to see tax evasion and corruption going on here!" As the U.S., British and world politicians create laws and treaties favorable to keeping it all going in some form. And a few lower level rich or powerful scapegoats are thrown prisons. While the corporations , bigger players and the operations shift to new venues.

Just take mini overview here, remember the BCCI scandal, the more recent Banking Scandals where banks like HSBC have been fined billions (no one in jail) over the years for drug money laundering. Other banks creating "ignoring'" tax havens and criminal money laundering link ABC news (http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=88654&page=1) link DerSpiegel. (http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/the-cayman-connection-international-tax-evasion-scandal-spreads-a-539068.html) The 'all cash' deals found in the housing bubble problem. The many Tax Haven scandals created by funds, banks and lawyers --one where the rich were "buying" small European towns sewer lines-- to avoid U.S. taxes. the Greek politicians who were convicted of money laundering, taking bribes for arms purchases.
There are serious aspect of it in the little reported and completely un-prosecuted Sybel Edmonds whistle blower case where money and bribes and arms deals are described but no one seemed to care. link (http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/sibel-edmondss-secrets/)
"She names names at the bureau, in Congress, and also at the State Department and Pentagon, including Congressmen Dennis Hastert, Dan Burton, Roy Blunt, Bob Livingston, Stephen Solarz, and Tom Lantos. She also fingers Douglas Feith, who headed the Office of Special Plans at the Pentagon, and Marc Grossman, who was the third ranking official at the State Department. Per Edmonds, all were part of the vast criminal enterprise that stole U.S. defense secrets, diverted weapons sales through false end-user certificates, participated in drug trafficking, and engaged in money laundering and bribery. The epicenter of the activity was Turkey and its major affiliates in the U.S., the American Turkish Council and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, which were two of the targets that Edmonds worked on, but she also learned that there was a parallel organization in Israel which cooperated with the Turks, most particularly on illegal weapons sales and technology transfers. Chicago was a focal point for the Turkish efforts, apparently due to good access to then House Speaker Hastert. The Israelis and Turks between them operated a number of front companies and had agents reporting to them who provided information from inside top secret nuclear weapons labs. Most of the buyers for the technology and weapons were governments in Asia, though there was at least one non-state player that might have had connections with terrorist groups...."



so yeah...
this stuff ain't new and this story doesn't begin to scratch all the countries and persons where there's an itch about this kind of activity.

[jimnyc]

I think it's only a matter of time before some much larger leaks appear. I find it VERY hard to believe that there aren't some huge names from the USA involved.

-----

Why Are Americans Not Included in the Panama Papers?

One of the many remarkable things about the massive leak of documents known as the Panama Papers is what's so far been lacking.

Americans.

The documents, related to a Panamanian law firm that specializes in creating shell companies for many of the world's richest people, provide a glimpse into how secret fortunes and ill-gotten gains are moved through a shady financial network, according to The International Consortium of Investigative Journalism, which worked with news organizations around the world to analyze the files.

The clients and connections included current and former world leaders, famous athletes and billionaires, but also notorious underworld operatives. The ICIJ says people in the United States were involved. But hardly any are among the bold-faced names made public. One exception is Chicago-based financial coach and author Marianna Olszewski — who, according to ICIJ member the BBC, allegedly used the firm, Mossack Fonseca, to hide her name as the owner of a secret offshore account.

The seeming dearth of Americans in the reports doesn't necessarily mean that U.S. citizens are more upfront, or more law abiding, than their counterparts around the world, experts said. But there are a number of possible reasons why so few have showed up in the coverage.

First, this was a leak of more than 11 million documents, and it will take some time for the ICIJ to scour them. "So maybe there are revelations about specific Americans and secret funds that we haven't heard about," said Matt Gardner, executive director of The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a research organization.

At the same time, it's possible that Americans who do this sort of thing simply worked with law firms other than Mossack Fonseca.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/panama-papers/why-are-americans-not-included-panama-papers-n551081

[NightTrain]

Well, seeing as how a hacker did all this, I fully expect every decent hacker in the world is going to be going after the other big shell company firms.

I don't see any hackers stepping forward with claiming responsibility, though... first guy that does that will accidentally fall off a building.

[revelarts]

You guys Remember this film?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_lRMCPHbuY&list=PL4EFF8DB2111AA675&annotation_id=annotation_362369&feature=iv&src_vid=JzH1Z17c4yc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMmE8RLieiA

[fj1200]

I think it's only a matter of time before some much larger leaks appear. I find it VERY hard to believe that there aren't some huge names from the USA involved.

-----

Why Are Americans Not Included in the Panama Papers?

My guess is that most of the big offenders are third-world and otherwise dictators that are able to skim money from contracts, foreign aid, etc. I don't think Americans are as easily able to do that.

[revelarts]

The Firm byJohnGrissham
:Hard to believe, but there was a time when the word "lawyer" wasn't synonymous with "criminal," and the idea of a law firm controlled by the Mafia was an outlandish proposition. This intelligent, ensnaring story came out of nowhere--Oxford, Mississippi, where Grisham was a small-town lawyer--and quickly catapulted to the top of the bestseller list, with good reason. Mitch McDeere, the appealing hero, is a poor kid whose only assets are a first-class mind, a Harvard law degree, and a beautiful, loving wife. When a Memphis law firm makes him an offer he really can't refuse, he trades his old Nissan for a new BMW, his cramped apartment for a house in the best part of town, and puts in long hours finding tax shelters for Texans who'd rather pay a lawyer than the IRS. Nothing criminal about that. He'd be set for life, if only associates at the firm didn't have a funny habit of dying, and the FBI wasn't trying to get Mitch to turn his colleagues in. The tempo and pacing are brilliant, the thrills keep coming, and the finish has a wonderful ironic flourish. It's not hard to see why Grisham changed the genre permanently with this one, and few of his colleagues in a very crowded field come close to equaling him. --Jane Adams




....Shortly after Mitch passes his bar exam, Wayne Tarrance, an FBI agent, confronts Mitch. Mitch gradually learns from the FBI that the firm is part of the white collar division of the Morolto crime family of Chicago. The firm's founder, Anthony Bendini, was actually the son-in-law of old man Morolto. He founded the firm in 1944, and for almost half a century it has lured new lawyers from poor backgrounds with promises of wealth and security. Although all of the work Mitch has done so far is very real, the partners and senior associates are actively involved in a multimillion-dollar tax fraud and money laundering scheme that accounts for as much as 75 percent of the firm's business. The firm is heavily involved in laundering money from the Moroltos' gambling and drug-dealing operations by using it to start corporations, which buy up property and businesses around the world. By the time a lawyer is aware of the firm's actual operations, he cannot leave. By the time he retires, he is too compromised to talk. No lawyer has escaped the firm alive; the five who tried to leave did so after finding out about the firm's ties to organized crime and were killed to keep them from talking. Kozinski and Hodge were actually in contact with the FBI at the time of their murders.

The takedown of the Moroltos is such a high priority that the FBI's director, F. Denton Voyles, is personally involved in the case. Mitch learns that his house, office and car are bugged. Mitch and Abby are also routinely followed by Morolto goons, making his meetings with the FBI dangerous. Pressure from the FBI, which warns him he will almost certainly go to prison if he chooses to ignore them, as well as the firm forces Mitch to make a decision quickly.
Desperate to find a way out and stay alive in the process, Mitch and Abby secretly decide to flee the country after they turn over enough evidence to destroy the firm, since they don't completely trust the FBI to protect them. In order to cooperate with the FBI, Mitch must disclose information about his clients.

The attorney–client privilege in most U.S. states, including Tennessee,[2] does not apply to situations where a lawyer knows that a crime is taking place. However, Mitch has to disclose information about some of his legitimate clients as well—which will all but end his legal career. He promises to collect enough evidence to bring down the firm in return for $2 million and Ray's release from prison. Working with Lomax's secretary and lover, Tammy Hemphill, Mitch obtains several confidential documents from the firm's bank records in the Caymans, eventually copying over 10,000 documents detailing over 20 years of illegal transactions. He then tells Tarrance that while these documents spell out only a fraction of the firm's illicit activitiess, they contain enough evidence to indict roughly half the firm's active members and several retired partners right away. However, the documents will also provide strong circumstantial evidence that the firm is part and parcel of a criminal conspiracy. This will give the FBI probable cause to obtain a search warrant for the firm's building in downtown Memphis—and with it, access to all of the firm's dirty files. Mitch is certain those files will provide enough evidence for a massive RICO indictment that will bring down the firm and cripple the Morolto family....

Truth is stranger than fiction
mafia, political leaders, the uber rich, (and not just legal tax dodges for the rich btw)

[Kathianne]

My guess is that most of the big offenders are third-world and otherwise dictators that are able to skim money from contracts, foreign aid, etc. I don't think Americans are as easily able to do that.

Yep, from what I've been reading it's a case of government corruption that resulted in those accounts. Also much higher tax percentages than the US.

[revelarts]

So officials in Iceland can do it. And in the UK Cameron's Father can do it but no Rich and powerful in the US can?
Sorry I don't buy it.
.

[NightTrain]

So officials in Iceland can do it. And in the UK Cameron's Father can do it but no Rich and powerful in the US can?
Sorry I don't buy it.
.

Oh, I'm quite sure we're going to be hearing about a few Americans in this... 11 million documents is going to take some time to sort through.

[Drummond]

So officials in Iceland can do it. And in the UK Cameron's Father can do it but no Rich and powerful in the US can?
Sorry I don't buy it.
.

As yet, it's merely ALLEGED, Revelarts ... ALLEGED. It's something our Left are currently trying to claim to be true.

Do you always believe what the Left tell you ?

The UK's Daily Mirror is as supportive of the Left as you'll find in the mainstream British press. Even THEY aren't saying it's proven, definite fact ....

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/david-camerons-dad-top-tories-7684150


Top Tory figures and David Cameron’s late father allegedly used tax havens for the rich and powerful, according to a major document leak

[revelarts]

As yet, it's merely ALLEGED, Revelarts ... ALLEGED. It's something our Left are currently trying to claim to be true.

Do you always believe what the Left tell you ?

The UK's Daily Mirror is as supportive of the Left as you'll find in the mainstream British press. Even THEY aren't saying it's proven, definite fact ....

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/david-camerons-dad-top-tories-7684150

You're right, it is technically "alleged". But if the law firm's docs are legit we really can't get much better proof of the allegations.
law firm docs, bank statements, court records of transitions of legal ownership.
not things that can easily be denied.

[jimnyc]

In case you don't know, and yes - this is the same McAfee as the "antivirus" and he obviously knows his shit.

-----

JOHN McAFEE: A time bomb is hidden beneath the Panama Papers

The hack of Mossack Fonseca, in terms of the certain fallout that will affect many of the wealthiest and most prominent people on the planet, is by far the largest and most damaging cyberattack on record.

I am just one of more than 200,000 people to have downloaded the Panama Papers, a record for hacked documents. It was a gold mine.

The release contained 11.5 million documents chronicling the formation and actions of 214,000 offshore companies along with the names and manipulations of more than 14,000 clients. Among the clients are:


12 heads of state
More than 150 politicians
29 billionaires on the Forbes list
Multiple financiers of terrorism
Nuclear-weapons proliferators
Prominent sports and entertainment figures
Numerous CIA-linked companies

Implicated as well are dozens of major banks that worked with Mossack Fonseca in establishing these offshore entities. Among them are the banking giants Credit Suisse, UBS, Landesbank, and Rothschild.

Mossack Fonseca is the fourth-largest "asset protection" law firm in the world, and its cybersecurity measures were obviously lacking. But they are not alone. Studies indicate that law firms are easy pickings for hackers, and Bloomberg reported last year that more than 80% of US law firms had already been hacked. Yet these law firms guard the gravest of our secrets, whether corporate secrets or those of an individual, and the damage done from a data breach could, as we might see, even bring down a head of state, as Iceland's prime minister is discovering.

Why are law firms so vulnerable?

The practice of law is a venerable profession in which change comes slow.

The magazine Law Practice Today noted that the law profession had only within the past four years woken up to the reality of cyberthreats: "The need for better cybersecurity has been the focus of considerable discussion by law firms for the past four years. While some law firms have recently awakened to this key issue, significant further work needs to be undertaken."

In America, over half a million attorneys are working in more than 4,500 law firms. This gives an average just over 100 lawyers per firm.

Cybersecurity budgets at any firm employing 100 people, if they exist at all, are minimal. For most businesses of that size, the risks, in terms of potential damage from a hack, are small. But the damage of a data breach in law firms is monumental.

All law firms will have the following information in their possession:

Case or litigation strategy information, including settlement parameters and argument weak points
Confidential client business information
Attorney-client privileged communications and other legally privileged information
Client intellectual property, such as patent, copyright, and trade-secret information
A range of personally identifiable information of all kinds for employees, clients, and third parties, such as personal health information and various account and account-access information that include customers' name and address information
Payment card information, including card numbers and PINs

Rest here - http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mcafee-panama-papers-evidence-we-need-better-cybersecurity-2016-4

[fj1200]

So officials in Iceland can do it. And in the UK Cameron's Father can do it but no Rich and powerful in the US can?
Sorry I don't buy it.

Do what exactly?

[Drummond]

You're right, it is technically "alleged". But if the law firm's docs are legit we really can't get much better proof of the allegations.
law firm docs, bank statements, court records of transitions of legal ownership.
not things that can easily be denied.

-- IF.

Exactly.

We have yet to know any detail in this for certain, certainly concerning what I was discussing ...

[Kathianne]

I read something about this, (Podesta Group) and Sberbank yesterday in Politico, this link though does more to explain somewhat. Now if anyone can explain how this may effect Clinton, please do. I get the Podesta/Clinton connection and I can see where this may well make the brothers not an easy sell if they were to be part of her administration, but for the election?:

http://observer.com/2016/04/panama-papers-reveal-clintons-kremlin-connection/


Panama Papers Reveal Clinton’s Kremlin ConnectionJohn and Tony Podesta aren’t fooling anyoneBy John R. Schindler (http://observer.com/author/john-r-schindler/) • 04/07/16 1:00pm

The revelations of the so-called Panama Papers (https://panamapapers.icij.org/) that are roiling the world’s political and financial elites this week include important facts about Team Clinton. This unprecedented trove of documents purloined from a shady Panama law firm that arranged tax havens, and perhaps money laundering, for the globe’s super-rich includes juicy insights into how Russia’s elite hides its ill-gotten wealth.


Almost lost among the many revelations is the fact that Russia’s biggest bank usesThe Podesta Group (http://freebeacon.com/issues/panama-papers-implicate-podesta-client/) as its lobbyist in Washington, D.C. Though hardly a household name, this firm is well known inside the Beltway, not least because its CEO is Tony Podesta, one of the best-connected Democratic machers in the country. He founded the firm in 1998 with his brother John, formerly chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, then counselor to President Barack Obama, Mr. Podesta is the very definition of a Democratic insider. Outsiders engage the Podestas and their well-connected lobbying firm to improve their image and get access to Democratic bigwigs.


Which is exactly what Sberbank (http://www.sberbank.com/ru), Russia’s biggest financial institution, did this spring. As reported (http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/politico-influence/2016/03/etsy-registers-podesta-for-sberbank-lend-lease-cov-for-bacardi-livingston-for-curacao-and-st-maarten-pizza-for-hillary-213495) at the end of March, the Podesta Group registered with the U.S. Government as a lobbyist for Sberbank, as required by law, naming three Podesta Group staffers: Tony Podesta plus Stephen Rademaker and David Adams, the last two former assistant secretaries of state. It should be noted that Tony Podesta is a big-money bundler for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign while his brother John is the chairman of that campaign, the chief architect of her plans to take the White House this November.


Sberbank (Savings Bank in Russian) engaged the Podesta Group to help its public image—leading Moscow financial institutions not exactly being known for their propriety and wholesomeness—and specifically to help lift some of the pain of sanctions placed on Russia in the aftermath of the Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine, which has caused real pain to the country’s hard-hit financial sector.


It’s hardly surprising that Sberbank sought the help of Democratic insiders like the Podesta Group to aid them in this difficult hour, since they clearly understand how American politics work. The question is why the Podesta Group took Sberbank’s money. That financial institution isn’t exactly hiding in the shadows—it’s the biggest bank in Russia, and its reputation leaves a lot to be desired. Nobody acquainted with Russian finance was surprised that Sberbank wound up in the Panama Papers.

...

[Kathianne]

Cameron clarifies:

http://www.businessinsider.com/david-cameron-fathers-offshore-trust-2016-4


David Cameron admits he had stake in his father's offshore trust after ‘Panama Papers’ controversy

David Cameron has admitted that he had a stake in his father's offshore company which he sold for £30,000 shortly before he became Prime Minister.


Mr Cameron sought to end days of questioning about his families tax affairs (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/04/panama-papers-tax-haven-used-by-politicians-and-celebrities/) by insisting that he paid income tax on the dividends in the "normal way".


He insisted that he does not have "anything to hide" and said he is proud of his father's achievements, adding that he "can't bear to see his name being dragged through the mud".


It comes after the Prime Minsterhas faced four days of intense scrutiny (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/06/panama-papers-david-cameron-family-offshore-fund-moved-ireland/) over his family's financial arrangements.


The Prime Minister has previously insisted that he does not receive any current benefit from an investment in an offshore trust and will not do so in future.


PM: I've no shares, no offshore trusts, no offshore fundsPlay!


However the he has now revealed that both he and his wife benefited from the trust in the past.


He told ITV News: "Because of course I did own stocks and shares in the past - quite naturally because my father was a stockbroker. I sold them all in 2010, because if I was going to become Prime Minister I didn't want anyone to say you have other agendas, vested interests. Samantha and I had a joint account.


"We owned 5000 units in Blairmore Investment Trust, which we sold in January 2010. That was worth something like £30,000.


"I paid income tax on the dividends. There was a profit on it but it was less than the capital gains tax allowance so I didn't pay capital gains tax.


"But it was subject to all the UK taxes in all the normal way. So I want to be as clear as I can about the past, present and future.


"Because frankly I don't have anything to hide. I am proud of my dad and what he did, the business he established and all the rest of it. I can't bear to see his name being dragged through the mud. For my own, I chose to take a different path from my father, grandfather and great grandfather, who were all stockbrokers, and I have nothing to hide in my arrangements. "


He also said that he had received a £300,000 inheritance from his father when he died, adding that he could not be sure if it came from offshore source.


He said he is committed to publishing his tax return: "I think the idea of publishing the information that goes in your tax return, I am very relaxed about that. It didn't happen before the last election. It did not come about.


"I don't think this should be for every MP. It is a very big change in our system. It should be for the prime minister, and the potential prime minister. I am very happy for that to happen."
...

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

Anybody that does not think their was a selection made in what documents to leak , in regards to targeted
government officials in many nations is not very damn bright IMHO.
THUS ONE MUST SUSPECT THE ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF THE INFO LEAKED AS WELL.

THIS LEAK WAS A PLANNED ACTION FOLKS.
And had specific targets in mind to destroy.
My guess is its globalists destroying some that refused to go along willingly with their agenda.
Which given the early hits on certain Prime ministers of certain nations makes perfect sense.
Put being the top one hit but how damage can hitting him be?
As he is not subject to votes or legal actions as are Western leaders etc.--Tyr

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

I read something about this, (Podesta Group) and Sberbank yesterday in Politico, this link though does more to explain somewhat. Now if anyone can explain how this may effect Clinton, please do. I get the Podesta/Clinton connection and I can see where this may well make the brothers not an easy sell if they were to be part of her administration, but for the election?:

http://observer.com/2016/04/panama-papers-reveal-clintons-kremlin-connection/

Podesta/Clintons/Corruption, WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT?? :rolleyes:-TYR

[fj1200]

I read something about this, (Podesta Group) and Sberbank yesterday in Politico, this link though does more to explain somewhat. Now if anyone can explain how this may effect Clinton, please do. I get the Podesta/Clinton connection and I can see where this may well make the brothers not an easy sell if they were to be part of her administration, but for the election?:

It strengthens Bernie's arguments against her for the primaries. I don't think it makes anybody want to vote for her more on any side so can only hurt.

[Kathianne]

It strengthens Bernie's arguments against her for the primaries. I don't think it makes anybody want to vote for her more on any side so can only hurt.

Ok, 'guilt by association' works for me, as the Podesta/Clinton connection is pretty well known.

[fj1200]

Ok, 'guilt by association' works for me, as the Podesta/Clinton connection is pretty well known.

True, but not the Sberbank? connection and then tie it together with her e-mail issues and Clinton Foundation fundraising... The commercials are just writing themselves. :eek:

[Kathianne]

True, but not the Sberbank? connection and then tie it together with her e-mail issues and Clinton Foundation fundraising... The commercials are just writing themselves. :eek:

Maybe for some of us, but to those who basically look at party first? Unlikely.

How many would even try to read about the Panama Papers beyond 'why is this a headline?' Sberbank? Really?

[fj1200]

Maybe for some of us, but to those who basically look at party first? Unlikely.

How many would even try to read about the Panama Papers beyond 'why is this a headline?' Sberbank? Really?

That depends on if the Sarandon types would actually stay home. If "true-believer" conservatives could stay home against McCain/Romney/Trump then "true-believer" liberals can stay home against hrc. Either way, it's not helpful to her efforts.

[indago]

From The Associated Press 13 April 2016:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Tax officials from around the world are meeting in Paris to discuss the fallout from the mass leak of offshore account data from Panama firm Mossack Fonseca. ...The Panama disclosures have shaken the rich and powerful by exposing how they use networks of shell companies to dodge financial obligations, taking tax evasion to the top of international agenda.
--------------------------------------------------------------

article (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OFFSHORE_ACCOUNTS_INVESTIGATION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-04-13-08-42-27)

[fj1200]

From The Associated Press 13 April 2016:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Tax officials from around the world are meeting in Paris to discuss the fallout from the mass leak of offshore account data from Panama firm Mossack Fonseca. ...The Panama disclosures have shaken the rich and powerful by exposing how they use networks of shell companies to dodge financial obligations, taking tax evasion to the top of international agenda.
--------------------------------------------------------------

article (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OFFSHORE_ACCOUNTS_INVESTIGATION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-04-13-08-42-27)

Sounds like Big Government is mad.

[indago]

Sounds like Big Government is mad.

Yeah! They're gonna GET SOME...

[indago]

From The Associated Press 6 May 2016:
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Obama administration has announced a set of financial regulations that would force companies to disclose more information about their owners, part of an effort billed as a crackdown on tax evaders and money launderers. ...The administration's push came after the leak of the "Panama Papers," a trove of financial records that detailed the breadth of international tax dodging through offshore, secret accounts. Experts noted the U.S. is emerging as a top tax haven to rival Switzerland or the Cayman Islands, as U.S. laws allows banks to promise foreigners secrecy.

Treasury also sent new legislation to Congress that would require companies to know and disclose their owners to the IRS and to allow law enforcement to access that information.
-----------------------------------------------------------

article (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TAX_TRANSPARENCY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-05-06-03-29-35)

[indago]

From The Associated Press 9 May 2016:
----------------------------------------------------------
300 economists, in a letter coordinated by activist group Oxfam, say poorer countries are hit hardest by tax dodging. The signatories , including Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University's Earth Institute, argue there is no economic justification for tax havens and urge leaders to "lift the veil of secrecy" surrounding them. The letter released Monday comes days before an anti-corruption summit in London, featuring politicians from 40 countries as well as representatives from the World Bank and IMF.

Many of the companies that featured in the leak of the so-called Panama Papers were incorporated in British Overseas Territories and the British Virgin Islands.
----------------------------------------------------------

article (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_OFFSHORE_ACCOUNTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-05-09-05-29-34)

[sundaydriver]

Aren't the full papers reportedly being released tomorrow?

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

From The Associated Press 9 May 2016:
----------------------------------------------------------
300 economists, in a letter coordinated by activist group Oxfam, say poorer countries are hit hardest by tax dodging. The signatories , including Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University's Earth Institute, argue there is no economic justification for tax havens and urge leaders to "lift the veil of secrecy" surrounding them. The letter released Monday comes days before an anti-corruption summit in London, featuring politicians from 40 countries as well as representatives from the World Bank and IMF.

Many of the companies that featured in the leak of the so-called Panama Papers were incorporated in British Overseas Territories and the British Virgin Islands.
----------------------------------------------------------

article (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_OFFSHORE_ACCOUNTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-05-09-05-29-34)


The letter released Monday comes days before an anti-corruption summit in London, featuring politicians from 40 countries as well as representatives from the World Bank and IMF.

Who do you people think these World Bank and IMF representatives are??
The 40 countries are not there to decide things, they are there to be told things to do-- by these representatives from the World Bank and IMF !!

That is the globalist entity now running the show worldwide, except perhaps in China/Russia,N. Korea and M.E.

That is the masters pulling obama's strings..
As long as he does what they tell him to do -he gets to do what he wants to do--destroy this nation..Truth...-Tyr

[indago]

Be interesting to see what will happen



.