I can forgive you if you’ve already forgotten what the Panama Papers are.
The biggest financial data leak in history, one that threatened to expose corruption on a level never before seen, has largely been ignored by the public.
My theory why? Not sexy. No one cares if Vladimir Putin and the prime minister of Iceland are hiding illicit cash.
Give us babes. Money laundering ladies. Fraud committing foxes. Tax evading tens. Dimes squirreling away dimes.
That’d pique our interest.
Luckily, I’ve gotten one.
Our favorite, Emma Watson, has been named in the Panama Papers. The discovery was made after the journalists covering the leak put a database of names involved online.
There was Emma, shareholder in Falling Leaves Ltd., an offshore account set up by Mossack Fonseca.
Her lawyer, when reached for comment, insisted it was all on the level.
‘Emma (like many high profile individuals) set up an offshore company for the sole purpose of protecting her anonymity and safety. UK companies are required to publicly publish details of their shareholders and therefore do not give her the necessary anonymity required to protect her personal safety, which has been jeopardised in the past owing to such information being publicly available.
Offshore companies do not publish these shareholder details. Emma receives absolutely no tax or monetary advantages from this offshore company whatsoever – only privacy.’
I’ll buy it. For now.
And since you really have forgotten all about the Panama Papers, here’s a refresher:
[Via New York Daily News, H/T Cass]