MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — On Sunday, the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung exposed alleged illegal financial activities of some of the world’s most powerful people in tax havens using the information obtained in a data leak by the firm.
"The Government of Panama leads a policy of zero tolerance of any aspects of the legal or financial system that is not handled with high levels of transparency. The Government of Panama will vigorously cooperate with any requests or assistance that may be necessary in the event that any judicial process develops," the statement reads.
The documents obtained by the German newspaper reportedly provide information on current and former leaders, as well as celebrities and others who allegedly laundered billions of dollars, evaded taxes and dodged sanctions with the help of shell firms abroad.
Mossack Fonseca responded by refusing to validate the information contained in the leaks and accused reporters of gaining unauthorized access to its proprietary documents. It warned that using unlawfully-obtained data was a crime that it would not hesitate to punish by criminal and civil means. Representatives of the above mentioned officials weren't available for immediate comment.
