Paradise Papers

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paradise Papers
Timeframe 1950 to 2016
publication 5th November 2017
Extent of the original data 1.4 terabytes, 13.4 million documents

including more than 120 politicians from almost 50 countries

Key media Süddeutsche Zeitung
ICIJ
subjects Tax offense letter box company
Internet The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)

The Paradise Papers [ ˈpəɹə.daɪ̯s ˈpeɪpəʳz ] ( German  Paradise Papers ) are a bundle of originally confidential documents from the law firm Appleby and the smaller trust company Asiaciti Trust , which were leaked to the Süddeutsche Zeitung in 2016 . The documents put in thousands of cases illustrate how of billionaires worldwide and some of the world's largest corporations such as Apple , Facebook or Nike means of money laundering and concealment - including through the establishment of letterbox companies and use of offshore - " tax havens " - tax avoidance and tax evasion is operated and has been. The leaked documents contain records on more than 120 heads of state and government and politicians from 47 countries, including the British Queen Elizabeth II and the US Secretary of Commerce and multimillionaire Wilbur Ross . In addition, they contain the previously unknown commercial registers of 19 tax havens such as the Bahamas , Cayman Islands or Malta, as well as information on hidden, questionable company structures of global companies and large corporations.

At the same time, the research results were published on November 5, 2017 by journalists from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) worldwide. The reporters involved evaluated 13.4 million documents from a data breach by the law firm. The Paradise Papers contain data and documents from 21 different sources.

publication

Contents of the documents that have become known

The evaluated data document, among other things, the business of the offshore service provider Appleby (6.8 million documents) and the smaller trust company Asiaciti Trust in Singapore (600,000 documents). In addition, the internal data of the company registers of 19 tax havens (around 6 million documents) are included, for example from Bermuda , the Cook Islands and Malta . The Süddeutsche Zeitung received these data. As with the Panama Papers , the newspaper shared the data with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Over a year, more than 120 journalists worldwide evaluated the material and carried out further research. 95 media partners worldwide took part in the research and publication. The journalists Bastian Obermayer and Frederik Obermaier were once again involved in the publications, who, like everyone else involved in the publications on the Panama Papers, had already been awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2017 .

Media involved

380 journalists from 96 media in 67 countries were involved in researching the Paradise Papers and preparing them for the public. You work u. a. for the following media:

Appleby

Appleby law firm is a leader in offshore business. The company has annual sales of $ 100 million, 470 employees and offices in almost every major tax haven.

Appleby was founded in Hamilton (Bermuda) and is the focus of research. The firm had a good reputation prior to the publication of the Paradise Papers, saw itself as a leader in the offshore industry and won various awards.

A few days before the publication, the law firm admitted that data material may have been illegally leaked to the ICIJ. She did not speak of a data leak, but of an illegal cyber attack . Appleby insisted on using legal offshore practices and acting in accordance with the law. After careful and intensive examination, the result was that there was no evidence of any misconduct on the part of the law firm or its clients.

Affected (selection)

In total, more than 120 heads of state and government and politicians from 47 countries are named in the documents. The firm's other clients include several multinational corporations as well as wealthy individuals, such as top athletes, e. B. the racing driver Lewis Hamilton , and other celebrities, such as. B. the musician Bono . Not all persons and companies appearing in the data are published, as some of them are not of public interest .

Companies

people

Petro Poroshenko and Rex Tillerson

Argentina

  • Luis Caputo, Minister of Finance of Argentina
  • Alan Faena , hotelier and real estate developer

Australia

Germany

Numerous Germans can be found in the Paradise Papers. In Appleby's customer database, there are more than 1000 entries with references to Germany.

  • Engelhorn family , owners u. a. of the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Mannheim
  • Paul Gauselmann , founder of the gaming machine and betting company Gauselmann Group and chairman of the Association of the German Machine Industry e. V. (VDAI). Gauselmann's company operates in the online gaming market via the Isle of Man . According to the Tagesschau, business with online casinos is highly problematic among money laundering experts and is illegal in Germany. Paul Gauselmann still earns money from online gambling through a license concept with the help of a company based on the Isle of Man. The Gauselmann Group denies that the ban on online casinos is applicable in Germany and does not work with illegally operating providers.
  • Harald Leibrecht ( FDP ), a former member of the Bundestag , is among other things co-owner of a mailbox company that holds a castle south of London. Leibrecht concealed this involvement during his eleven years as a member of parliament. When asked, he stated that the tax authorities were aware of the construction.
  • Klaus Mangold , manager and business consultant, a. a. Chairman of the TUI Supervisory Board . According to the documents, Mangold was the beneficiary of a letterbox company on the Isle of Man in 2003 and 2010, which belonged to the Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky . When asked, Mangold said that he was “unable to remember” that he had been a beneficiary of this company.
  • Gerhard Schröder ( SPD ), former German Chancellor . In 2009, Gerhard Schröder was the so-called “independent supervisory board” of the Russian-British energy company TNK-BP . Formally, like many oil joint ventures, the company was based in the British Virgin Islands . As part of their function at TNK-BP, Schröder and two other supervisory board members, according to the time, needed the advice of Appleby "because of certain procedural company matters under the law of the British Virgin Islands", as it was said in an October 2011 email.

Ghana

Greece

Great Britain

Formula 1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton is said to have avoided around 5 million euros in taxes when buying and importing his private jet into the EU via the Isle of Man .

Ireland

  • Bono , aka Paul David Hewson, invested in a company in Malta in 2007. This company was the starting point for a ramified corporate network. Among other things, Hewson's company invested in a Lithuanian company; this in turn in a shopping center. The Lithuanian tax authority VMI opened an investigation into suspecting that the mall's profits were incorrectly booked and that too little tax was paid in Lithuania.

Israel

Japan

Canada

Jean Chrétien

Kazakhstan

Colombia

Liberia

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Mexico

Montenegro

Austria

Russia

Sweden

Switzerland

Spain

Syria

Turkey

  • Ahmet and Erkan Yıldırım, sons of the former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım . Evidence shows that Yıldırım's two sons own five mailbox companies in Malta for tax avoidance purposes : Hawke Bay Marine Co Ltd., Black Eagle Marine Co Ltd., South Seas Shipping NV, Dertel Shipping Limited and Nova Warrior Limited. There are also two other companies owned by his uncle Yılmaz Erence and four more owned by his nephew (Süleyman Varol).
  • Serhat Albayrak, older brother of the Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak (who is also the son-in-law of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ), is authorized representative of Frocks International Trading Ltd. with some employees of Çalık Holding . This company was founded in 2003 and is said to have been formally inactive since 2009.

United States of America (USA)

Wilbur Ross (2017)
George Soros (2010)

Reactions

The development aid organization Oxfam called for the consequences of politics to reduce the damage to the common good caused by the withdrawal of billions of financial resources.

Germany

Thomas Eigenhaler from the German Tax Union ( DSTG ) estimated in connection with the Paradise Papers that Germany alone loses 50 to 70 billion euros every year due to illegal financial transactions.

From the point of view of the executive German finance minister Peter Altmaier , the EU finance ministers could draw up a “black list” for tax havens in December 2017.

In Germany, the state of Hesse offered itself for a lead evaluation of the “Paradise Papers”. Finance Minister Thomas Schäfer (CDU) referred to the expertise and technical equipment of the Hessian financial administration, which are already used in the central evaluation of the Panama Papers , during his advance in Wiesbaden . In cooperation with the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the Hessian financial experts evaluate the data set and act as an interface to their colleagues in other federal states. The BKA is already in full possession of the "Panama Papers"; According to Hesse, it also has full data access. The German federal government also asked the media involved to hand over the original data; the data should also be made available to law enforcement authorities.

European Union

Three days after the revelations, several states resisted stricter European Union regulations for disclosing the actual owners of trusts and foundations. These include Luxembourg , Austria , Ireland , as well as Great Britain , Malta and Cyprus .

Turkey

The Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım commented on the involvement of his sons by saying that they had not done anything illegal. The opposition CHP confirmed that nothing forbidden had happened, but that it was morally reprehensible, and pointed out the current financial situation in Turkey, which urgently needs such “lost” tax money. The CHP also called on Yıldırım to resign. The HDP - like the CHP - demanded an investigation into this in parliament , which, however, was rejected by the AKP . As a result, both parties and their MPs publicly questioned the innocence of the Yıldırıms. A few days later, Yıldırım announced that he would sue the daily Cumhuriyet , which was one of the few Turkish newspapers to report or was about to report. Since his personal rights had been violated, he asked for damages of 500,000 TL (approx. 110,000 euros), despite Yıldırım's statement that the activities of his family members should not be kept secret.

Others

The Paradise Papers shows that with the help of the law firm Appleby, aircraft worth at least 1.47 billion euros were imported into Europe via Isle of Man.

Movies

See also

Web links

Commons : Paradise Papers  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Newspapers

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d "Paradise Papers" - International research reveals tax tricks . In: Deutschlandfunk . ( deutschlandfunk.de [accessed November 20, 2017]).
  2. ↑ These are the Paradise Papers. In: Sueddeutsche.de. Retrieved November 6, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Offshore law firm Appleby's response: 'no evidence of wrongdoing' . In: The Guardian . November 5, 2017, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed November 5, 2017]).
  4. ^ A b Frederik Obermaier, Bastian Obermayer: This is how SZ research went . In: sueddeutsche.de . November 5, 2017, ISSN  0174-4917 ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed November 5, 2017]).
  5. ↑ International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, McClatchy and Miami Herald.
  6. ^ Journalist Obermaier receives Pulitzer Prize. In: Schwaebische.de. Retrieved November 5, 2017 .
  7. ↑ The next leak. In: Sueddeutsche.de. Süddeutsche Zeitung GmbH, November 5, 2017, accessed on November 6, 2017 .
  8. ↑ www.applebyglobal.com names Bermuda, British Virgin Islands , Cayman Islands , Guernsey , Hong Kong , Isle of Man , Jersey , Mauritius , Seychelles and Shanghai .
  9. ^ Offshore law firm Appleby explained (briefly). In: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017 .
  10. ^ "Paradise Papers": New Revelations on Tax Haven. In: Frankfurter Rundschau . Retrieved November 5, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Huge data set reveals tax tricks of the rich. In: tagesschau.de. Retrieved November 5, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Paradise Papers salpicó al Gobierno de Macri: el ministro Luis Caputo manejó inversiones en Islas Caimán. In: Peril. November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017 (Spanish).
  13. ↑ a b Alan Faena, otro argentino en Paradise Papers. In: perfil.com. November 7, 2017, accessed March 22, 2018 .
  14. ↑ a b The Australians Embroiled In The 'Paradise Papers' Tax Haven Leak. In: The Huffington Post Australia. Retrieved November 6, 2017 .
  15. ↑ a b c d "Paradise Papers" - The Germans in the leak. In: tagesschau.de. Retrieved November 6, 2017 .
  16. ↑ a b c These are the German cases . In: sueddeutsche.de . November 5, 2017, ISSN  0174-4917 ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed November 5, 2017]).
  17. ↑ Paradise Papers: Billionaire Offshore Deals Revealed . In: The time . November 5, 2017, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed November 6, 2017]).
  18. ↑ a b Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. International Consortium of Investigative Journalists , accessed November 5, 2017 .
  19. ↑ Room Of Secrets Reveals Glencore's Mysteries. In: The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. November 5, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Hilary Osborne: Revealed: Queen's private estate invested millions of pounds offshore . In: theguardian.com . November 5, 2017, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed November 5, 2017]).
  21. ↑ Paradise Papers reporting team: Queen's private estate invested offshore . In: BBC News . November 5, 2017 ( bbc.com [accessed November 5, 2017]).
  22. ↑ The Queen benefits from usurious vacuum cleaners. In: Sueddeutsche.de. Retrieved November 5, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Playing with VAT.
  24. ↑ Elisabeth Gamperl, Mauritius Much: Der Überflieger. In: sueddeutsche.de. November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017 .
  25. ^ Prince Charles's estate made big profit on stake in friend's offshore firm. In: theguardian.com. November 7, 2017, accessed February 5, 2018 .
  26. ↑ The Brexiters who put Their money offshore. In: theguardian.com. November 9, 2017, accessed February 7, 2018 .
  27. ↑ Lithuania: Tax authority investigates Bonos Investment. In: tagesschau.de. Retrieved November 6, 2017 .
  28. ↑ The Glencore Case: The Battle for Katanga. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017 .
  29. ^ Paradise Papers: ICIJ releases another database revealing offshore companies. In: Geo TV. 6 November 2017.
  30. ↑ Paradise Papers incriminate close adviser to Trudeau. In: Sueddeutsche.de. Retrieved November 5, 2017 .
  31. ↑ a b c Huge offshore data leak reveals financial secrets of global elites - from the Queen to former PMs. In: CBC News. November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017 .
  32. ↑ a b The Brexiters who put their money offshore. In: theguardian.com. November 9, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2018 .
  33. ^ Notable Canadian companies, individuals in the Paradise Papers. In: cbc.ca. November 6, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2018 .
  34. ↑ Sauat Mukhametbayevich Mynbayev. In: ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
  35. ^ A b c d e Ed Pilkington: From Harvey Weinstein to Shakira, the celebrities with offshore interests. The Guardian, Nov. 8, 2017.
  36. ^ A b Mexicanos involucrados en Paradise Papers. In: uniradionoticias.com. November 6, 2017, accessed September 18, 2018 .
  37. ↑ Paradise Papers | Power players with interests in Malta companies. In: Malta Today. 5 November 2017.
  38. ↑ So far unknown societies. In: orf.at. November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017 .
  39. ↑ "I never received a euro from Novia". In: news.at. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017 .
  40. ↑ Christer Gardell har privata miljarder i bolag på Malta. In: Sveriges Television. Retrieved May 8, 2018 .
  41. ↑ Svenske miljardären slussar pengar till skatteparadis. In: svt.se. November 9, 2017, accessed March 13, 2018 .
  42. ↑ Los españoles de los 'Papeles del Paraíso': Xavier Trias, José María Cano y Daniel Maté. In: elEconomista.es. November 5, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2018 .
  43. ↑ El exalcalde de Barcelona Xavier Trias estuvo vinculado a una sociedad familiar en un paraíso fiscal. Retrieved November 5, 2017 .
  44. ^ El ex presidente de Telefónica Juan Villalonga administró dos sociedades en paraísos fiscales. In: elmundo.es. November 7, 2017, accessed May 14, 2018 .
  45. ↑ Rami Makhlouf. In: ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
  46. ^ Four Things The Paradise Papers Tells Us About Malta. In: Lovin Malta. 5 November 2017.
  47. ↑ Sülale boyu off-shore ... Paradise Papers'tan Binali Yıldırım ve oğulları çıktı . ( com.tr [accessed November 6, 2017]).
  48. ↑ Off-shore kardeşler… Kayıtlardan damat bakan Albayrak ile kardeşi de çıktı. In: cumhuriyet.com.tr. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017 ; accessed on November 7, 2017 .
  49. ↑ Explore The Influencers: Donald Trump's allies in the Paradise Papers. In: icij.org. Retrieved May 8, 2018 .
  50. ^ Alan Faena, otro Argentina en Paradise Papers. In: perfil.com. November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2018 .
  51. ↑ New data leak charges Trump ministers, Trudeau and the Queen. In: Spiegel Online. Retrieved November 16, 2017 .
  52. ↑ a b The wealthy men in Trump's inner circle with links to tax havens. In: The Guardian. Retrieved November 16, 2017 .
  53. ^ Trump ally Robert Kraft revealed as longtime owner of offshore firm. In: theguardian.com. November 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2018 .
  54. ^ Offshore cash helped fund Steve Bannon's attacks on Hillary Clinton
  55. ↑ Bannon's attacks on Clinton apparently financed with offshore money. In: FAZ.net , November 7, 2017
  56. ↑ Trump's trade minister makes money with Russian gas. In: Sueddeutsche.de. Retrieved November 5, 2017 .
  57. ↑ Explosive “Paradise Papers” reveal tax havens. In: tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved November 5, 2017 .
  58. ^ David Brooks: 'Papers of Paradise': secret financial system of the rich and powerful ( Spanish ) La Jornada. November 5, 2017. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017.
  59. ↑ How Business Titanss, Pop Stars and Royals Hide Their Wealth. In: The New York Times. November 7, 2017, accessed March 9, 2018 .
  60. ^ Germans among those featured in the Paradise Papers. November 6, 2017, accessed November 7, 2017 .
  61. ^ "Paradise Papers": EU wants "black list" for tax havens. In: tagesschau.de. Retrieved November 8, 2017 .
  62. ↑ Hessen wants to evaluate “Paradise Papers”. In: FAZ.net , November 6, 2017, accessed on the same day
  63. ↑ Hessen wants to evaluate the "Paradise Papers". ( Memento from November 7, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) In: hessenschau.de , November 6, 2017, accessed on the same day
  64. ↑ Federal government wants access to Paradise Papers. In: Spiegel Online , November 6, 2017, accessed on the same day
  65. ↑ Andreas Schnauder: Tax havens: Karas sees Schelling "on the wrong side." The standard of November 11, 2017.
  66. ^ Andreas Schnauder: How Austria brakes in the fight against tax havens. The November 11, 2017 standard.
  67. ↑ Paradise Papers - Turkish opposition demands resignation. In: Deutschlandfunk.de. Retrieved November 9, 2017 .
  68. ↑ Yıldırım araştırılsın demişti: Paradise Belgeleri'nin araştırılması önerisi AKP oylarıyla Meclis'te reddedildi. In: cumhuriyet.com.tr. Retrieved November 9, 2017 .
  69. ↑ Dünyada bir ilk ... Paradise Papers haberimize 500 bin TL'lik dava . ( com.tr [accessed November 11, 2017]).
  70. ^ Süddeutsche.de GmbH, Munich, Germany: High-flyer Hamilton - the million-dollar mesh with the jet . In: Süddeutsche.de . ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed on November 20, 2017]).