The Panama Papers thread

snoopdoggydog said:
more like stupid like that (Remember Saddam Hussein)
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Not sure how that proves they are stupid, anyway the article is old news. Spy agencies keep their activities secret, that's why they are spy agencies. Back in the 50s the CIA created a number of fake companies to buy titanium from the Soviet Union so they could build their blackbird, which was in turn used to spy on the Soviet Union.
 
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/12/swiss-banker-whistleblower-cia-behind-panama-papers.html

Bradley Birkenfeld is the most significant financial whistleblower of all time, so you might think he'd be cheering on the disclosures in the new Panama Papers leaks. But today, Birkenfeld is raising questions about the source of the information that is shaking political regimes around the world.

Birkenfeld, an American citizen, was a banker working at UBS in Switzerland when he approached the U.S. government with information on massive amounts of tax evasion by Americans with secret accounts in Switzerland. By the end of his whistleblowing career, Birkenfeld had served more than two years in a U.S. federal prison, been awarded $104 million by the IRS for his information and shattered the foundations of more than a century of Swiss banking secrecy.

In an exclusive interview Tuesday from Munich, Birkenfeld said he doesn't think the source of the 11 million documents stolen from a Panamanian law firm should automatically be considered a whistleblower like himself. Instead, he said, the hacking of the Panama City-based firm, called Mossack Fonseca, could have been done by a U.S. intelligence agency.

"The CIA I'm sure is behind this, in my opinion," Birkenfeld said.
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:whistle:
 
Birkenfeld pointed to the fact that the political uproar created by the disclosures have mainly impacted countries with tense relationships with the United States. "The very fact that we see all these names surface that are the direct quote-unquote enemies of the United States
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So England, Germany, Iceland, Ukraine, Italy, France and Israel to name a few are all enemies of the United states. His opinion is just that, his opinion. It lacks both evidence and logic.
 
Unhappy438 said:
So England, Germany, Iceland, Ukraine, Italy, France and Israel to name a few are all enemies of the United states. His opinion is just that, his opinion. It lacks both evidence and logic.
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Asked why the U.S. would leak information that has also been damaging to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, a major American ally, Birkenfeld said the British leader was likely collateral damage in a larger intelligence operation.
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I mean, not that I think his opinion is anything but, but we should at least criticise it reasonably, yes?
 
Xarog said:
And still publish the story? How?
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Publish what story? What are you trying to say? Why would the CIA need to publish stories about all the western leaders if this was a leak aimed at enemies of the US. Oh and they are publishing stories about themselves as well.

Donald Duck theory is still far more coherent.
 
Unhappy438 said:
Publish what story? What are you trying to say? Why would the CIA need to publish stories about all the western leaders if this was a leak aimed at enemies of the US. Oh and they are publishing stories about themselves as well.

Donald Duck theory is still far more coherent.
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I thought you were talking about the guy and his opinion, not David Cameron.

And if you want to play that game, it's plausible to leave in a few paper tigers to make it look more reasonable. :rolleyes:

I still think anyone drawing solid conclusions about where this leak came from and who is behind it is completely premature. Nonetheless, I like discussing the possibilities. So game on. :p
 
Xarog said:
I still think anyone drawing solid conclusions about where this leak came from and who is behind it is completely premature.
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100% correct but at this stage i've heard no good arguments or evidence for CIA or Putin or any other evil entity one might want to come up with.
 
Unhappy438 said:
100% correct but at this stage i've heard no good arguments or evidence for CIA or Putin or any other evil entity one might want to come up with.
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:confused:

The idea of Putin using his elite financial investigative team to hack into the database, extract choice American names for blackmail and then passing the rest of the info on to be "leaked" makes a lot of sense, especially if you want your victims to know you're not bluffing...

I mean you were the one talking about the CIA using shell companies to get titanium from Russia. What could the FSB do with this kind of info?
 
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Concern as ‘Red Cross’ appears in #PanamaPapers

London - Some of the world's biggest aid agencies voiced concern on Monday that they may be further exposed to risk from the murky world of offshore finance after the latest release of the Panama Papers showed the name of the Red Cross was falsely used.

The cache of documents revealed how Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca created dummy foundations, with one of its fictitious beneficiaries listed as the “International Red Cross”.

The misappropriation of the International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) name was condemned by the Swiss-based agency and other international aid organisations concerned about the reputational risk this may carry for the sector as a whole.

The leaked emails, which first appeared in European newspapers, suggested the law firm used the humanitarian organisation as a cover when facing down demands for information from prying banks and financial institutions.

“It has become difficult to withhold the identity of the beneficiary,” one of the alleged emails from an unnamed Mossack Fonseca staffer said.

“This is the reason why we created this structure, that is, appointing the International Red Cross (sic). So it is not complicated,” the leaked 2009 email said.

The ICRC said it was not previously aware that the name of its organisation had been misappropriated and would investigate.
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More at:http://www.iol.co.za/business/international/concern-as-red-cross-appears-in-panamapapers-2008041
 
Panama raids Mossack Fonseca office

Panama City - Panama's attorney general late on Tuesday raided the offices of the Mossack Fonseca law firm to search for any evidence of illegal activities, authorities said in a statement.

The Panama-based law firm is at the centre of the “Panama Papers” leaks scandal that has embarrassed several world leaders and shone a spotlight on the shadowy world of offshore companies.

The national police, in an earlier statement, said they were searching for documentation that “would establish the possible use of the firm for illicit activities”. The firm has been accused of tax evasion and fraud.

Police offers and patrol cars began gathering around the company's building in the afternoon under the command of prosecutor Javier Caravallo, who specialises in organised crime and money laundering.
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More at: http://www.iol.co.za/business/international/panama-raids-mossack-fonseca-office-2008645
 
Panama leaks: Spain’s minister resigns

Madrid - Spain's acting Industry Minister Jose Manuel Soria said on Friday he was resigning with immediate effect after alleged links to offshore dealings which emerged after he was named in the Panama Papers.

Soria has denied all wrongdoing, but said he was stepping down to limit any damage to the caretaker government, the People's Party (PP), following revelations of alleged links to an offshore company in the British island of Jersey.

The resignation comes at a time when Spain is facing the likelihood of a second general election in June after an inconclusive December vote.
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More at:http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/panama-leaks-spains-minister-resigns-2010123
 
Xarog said:
:confused:

The idea of Putin using his elite financial investigative team to hack into the database, extract choice American names for blackmail and then passing the rest of the info on to be "leaked" makes a lot of sense, especially if you want your victims to know you're not bluffing...

I mean you were the one talking about the CIA using shell companies to get titanium from Russia. What could the FSB do with this kind of info?
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But the Panama papers get way too close to Putin. They implicate his friend a multi millionaire cello player and a few others around him.
The dirt around him is coming.... and the US
 
Nerfherder said:
But the Panama papers get way too close to Putin. They implicate his friend a multi millionaire cello player and a few others around him.
The dirt around him is coming.... and the US
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The people around him, not him. The legal implications to Putin's position is non-existant. Instead he gets to loudly proclaim that the poor Russians are being victimised again and drum up local support for Fearless Leader.

I mean, since we're playing spy vs. spy, why not add in some ultimately trivial "scandal" to throw people off the scent?
 
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