WSJ reported Mossack Fonseca creating hundreds of thousands of fictitious companies – RBC

The Panamanian company Mossack Fonseca, leakage of data from which has led to large-scale offshore scandal, has created around 240 thousand. Fictitious companies throughout the world, writes The Wall Street Journal.

The publication notes that its present form the company acquired in 1986, when Jurgen Mossak, born in Germany and came to Panama after the second world war, a small child, merged his company with the lawyer Ramon Fonseca. Both men are either studying, or working together in London.

Over time Mossack Fonseca increasingly subjected to international criticism. In late January, the Federal Police of Brazil raided the company’s headquarters in São Paulo in connection with the anti-corruption investigation surrounding oil company Petrobras

Mossack Fonseca appears in another case -. About 123 companies registered in the state of Nevada and involved a corrupt scheme, which allegedly linked the Argentine construction magnate Lázaro Báez, who was a business partner of the family of former Argentine President Cristina Kirchner. Mossack Fonseca, who acted as a “resident agent” the Nevada companies, said the WSJ, that “does not have any relation to Lazaro Baeza nor corruption scandals in Argentina».

The International Organization of Investigative Journalists ( The International Consortium of investigative Journalists, ICIJ) Apr. 3 released the results of a large-scale investigation of the offshore world leaders, politicians, and celebrities in Panama and the British Virgin islands. Data were obtained from leaked documents Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, providing services in the registration of offshore companies. ICIJ shared customer data Mossack Fonseca with more than 100 international media. To date, the communication with offshore companies at least 12 high-ranking officials in various countries, in addition, “the Panamanian dossier” ICIJ got officials, famous athletes and businessmen.

In the published “Panama archive” among others, showed the data of offshore and foreign companies 12 Russian officials or members of their families, as well as about the companies, the beneficiaries of which are close friends of Vladimir Putin.