Page 28 - MIN JUS 6 APRIL 2016
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UP FRONTWednesday 6 April 2016
China blasts reports on hidden wealth of leaders’ families
C. BODEEN to say whether the individu- tal, however, with some President Vladimir Putin. The paper made no men-
Associated Press als named would be inves- searches for Panama-relat- “The Western media have tion of any involvement by
BEIJING (AP) — China’s For- tigated. ed news resulting in stories taken control of the inter- Chinese figures.
eign Ministry on Tuesday “For these groundless ac- mentioning soccer player pretation each time there The reports by an interna-
denounced as “ground- cusations, I have no com- Lionel Messi and others has been such a docu- tional coalition of media
less” reports based on doc- ment,” Hong told reporters featured in the documents ment dump, and Wash- outlets working with the
uments leaked from a Pan- at a regularly scheduled who are not related to Chi- ington has demonstrated Washington-based Inter-
ama-based law firm that news conference. na. particular influence in it. national Consortium of In-
name relatives of current State media are ignoring The nationalistic tabloid Information that is negative vestigative Journalists, or
and retired Chinese politi- reports on the revelations. Global Times published an to the U.S. can always be ICIJ, are based on docu-
cians, including President Xi Search results of websites editorial saying an uniden- minimized, while exposure ments from the Panama-
Jinping, as owning offshore and social media for the tified “powerful force” was of non-Western leaders, based law firm Mossack
companies. words “Panama docu- behind the document leak. such as Putin, can get extra Fonseca, one of the world’s
Spokesman Hong Lei said ments” were blocked Tues- It said the main targets spin,” said the newspaper, biggest creators of shell
he would not discuss the re- day. were opponents of the published by the party’s companies.q
ports further and declined The blocking was not to- West, especially Russian flagship People’s Daily.
Iceland’s leader is first victim of offshore holdings leak
Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, writes during a parliamentary session in brought down by the pub- sands of Icelanders protest-
Reykjavik. Gunnlaugsson is the first major figure brought down by the publication of the names of lication of the names of ed outside the parliament
rich and powerful people linked to the leaks, dubbed the Panama Papers. rich and powerful people building in Reykjavik.
linked to the leaks, dubbed No replacement has yet
(AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson) the Panama Papers. been named, and Presi-
Officials in Ukraine, Argenti- dent Olafur Ragnar Grims-
JILL LAWLESS first high-profile political ca- shelter large sums while na and other countries are son did not immediately
DAVID McHUGH sualty Tuesday as Iceland’s Iceland’s economy was in also facing questions about confirm that he had ac-
Associated Press prime minister stepped crisis. possibly dubious offshore cepted the resignation.
LONDON (AP) — The leak aside amid outrage over Icelandic leader Sigmun- tax-avoidance schemes. Late Tuesday, a govern-
of millions of records on off- revelations he had used dur David Gunnlaugs- The reports are from a glob- ment statement said Gunn-
shore accounts claimed its such a shell company to son is the first major figure al group of news organiza- laugsson had suggested
tions working with the Wash- Johannsson take over as
ington-based International prime minister for “an un-
Consortium of Investigative specified amount of time,”
Journalists. They have been while Gunnlauggson would
processing records from stay on as leader of his cen-
the Mossack Fonseca law ter-right Progressive Party.
firm that were first leaked to Gunnlaugson has denied
Germany’s Sueddeutsche any wrongdoing and said
Zeitung newspaper. he and his wife have paid
The announcement that all their taxes. He also said
Gunnlaugsson was step- his financial holdings didn’t
ping down as leader of affect his negotiations with
Iceland’s coalition govern- Iceland’s creditors during
ment came from his dep- the country’s acute finan-
uty, Sigurdur Ingi Johanns- cial crisis. The leaked docu-
son, who is also the coun- ments allege that Gunn-
try’s agriculture minister. It laugsson and his wife set up
followed the refusal by Ice- a company called Wintris in
land’s president to dissolve the British Virgin Islands with
parliament and call a new the help of the Panamani-
election, and after thou- an law firm. q
Kremlin says Panama Papers have no relation to Putin
V. ISACHENKOV called an unfounded claim ports reflected what he as $2 billion to a network of “delicate.”
Associated Press that cellist Sergei Roldugin’s described as “Putinopho- people linked to the Rus- “If Mr. Roldugin indeed had
MOSCOW (AP) — Vladimir offshore assets were linked bia,” Western media bias sian president. or is continuing to have
Putin’s spokesman says the to Putin. against Putin. The 64-year-old Sergei Rol- some business companies,
Russian president has no Speaking in an interview The Washington-based In- dugin stands out in the some business affairs, it’s his
connection to offshore ac- Tuesday with The Associ- ternational Consortium of leaked list of statesmen, private business, and he’s
counts allegedly operated ated Press, Peskov empha- Investigative Journalists magnates and interna- got the right to do that,”
by his close friend, a musi- sized that “there is not a said the documents it ob- tional celebrities. While he Peskov said.
cian. word about President Pu- tained indicated that Rol- never made a secret of his Peskov emphasized that
Dmitry Peskov argues that tin in those papers,” and dugin acted as a front man friendship with Putin, Rol- the scandal around the
the leaked documents dismissed the alleged link for a network of Putin loyal- dugin has refrained from so-called Panama Papers
from a Panama-based firm between Russian owners ists, and, perhaps, the pres- comment about his al- proves that Putin was right
have been wilfully inter- of offshore assets and Putin ident himself. The ICIJ said leged offshore assets, only when he urged Russian
preted by an international as a “product of imagina- the documents show how telling a Russian newspa- businesses to pull out their
consortium of investigative tion.” complex offshore financial per involved in the inves- assets from offshore ac-
journalists to make what he Peskov said the media re- deals channeled as much tigation that the matter is counts a few years ago.q
