
Panama Papers affair widens as database goes online - Sami_Lehtinen
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36249982
======
jedberg
> The documents have revealed the hidden assets of hundreds of politicians,
> officials, current and former national leaders, celebrities and sports
> stars.

I feel bad for the celebrities and sports stars. In all likelihood, most of
them probably have no idea that their money is in a tax haven. Some of them
probably do, but most of them probably outsourced their money management.

The politicians I'm thinking probably had an idea of what was going on with
their money, but maybe they outsource just as much.

I'm just saying a lot of the people in this database are probably just rich
people who made a bad (or good depending on your point of view) choice in
accountant.

~~~
Randgalt
Yes. Also, there is nothing wrong (legally or morally) with avoiding taxation.

~~~
forgotmysn
there's nothing morally wrong with avoiding taxation if you have no sense of
community

~~~
Randgalt
So, complying with the law means you have no sense of community?

~~~
forgotmysn
Sad to say, but that can be the case. Corporations and Industry groups lobby
for exemptions and loopholes all the time, which is how we get to where we are
today. Just because a law is, doesn't mean that law is just. There are times
when complying with the law negatively impacts a community, re: judges
complying with mandatory sentencing.

------
r721
Original source: [https://panamapapers.icij.org/blog/20160509-offshore-
databas...](https://panamapapers.icij.org/blog/20160509-offshore-database-
release.html)

Related Washington Post investigation:
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/panama-
papers-...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/panama-papers-
include-dozens-of-americans-tied-to-financial-
frauds/2016/05/09/d199bfa2-12d3-11e6-81b4-581a5c4c42df_story.html)

------
dredmorbius
The ICIJ's release is here:

ICIJ releases database revealing thousands of secret offshore companies

Searchable database displays more than 300,000 entities from the Panama Papers
and Offshore Leaks investigations

[https://panamapapers.icij.org/blog/20160509-offshore-
databas...](https://panamapapers.icij.org/blog/20160509-offshore-database-
release.html)

------
code_research
I never used neo4j - how do I import the csv files? Is there any open source
visualization tool for noe4j?

~~~
nicolewhite
I wrote an import script:
[https://gist.github.com/nicolewhite/f1980f01dc4342b369a6b3b6...](https://gist.github.com/nicolewhite/f1980f01dc4342b369a6b3b6950a40c2)

~~~
JBReefer
This is great, thanks!

------
qaq
Hopefully this eventually will have an effect on reducing corruption
especially in developing countries.

~~~
civilian
The thing is that: using offshore tax havens _isn 't corruption_. It's legal.

Corruption is when you use your position or influence in the government to
help yourself. (Often by helping someone else who then gives you kickbacks
somehow.)

~~~
bdavisx
>The thing is that: using offshore tax havens isn't corruption. It's legal.

It may or not be legal, I'm pretty sure a lot of the people in the list are
using for Tax Evasion.

~~~
chimeracoder
> [Using offshore tax havens] may or not be legal, I'm pretty sure a lot of
> the people in the list are using for Tax Evasion.

Nope. The majority of the information contained in the Panama Papers does not
pertain to any illegal activity[0] (tax _evasion_ is illegal).

And even of the information that provides evidence of illegal activity, most
of it is illegal for reasons that have nothing to do with taxation. Some of
the information does point to transactions that were otherwise illegal (such
as drug cartel money), but that is in the minority of the information leaked.

Using offshore tax havens isn't illegal _in se_. And in fact, most uses of
offshore tax havens aren't going to be illegal, because if you're going to do
something illegal (tax evasion), why bother to use an offshore tax haven? The
whole point of using an offshore tax haven is to to reduce tax liability
_through legal means_ [1].

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Papers#Disclosures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Papers#Disclosures)

[1] Not to be confused with the goal of using hard-to-trace offshore bank
accounts to (e.g.) launder drug money or money obtained through bribery, which
is illegal but has nothing to do with taxes.

------
ryguyrg
Definitely check out this import script by @nicolewhite to import this data
into Neo4j (until ICIJ releases it soon!)

[https://gist.github.com/nicolewhite/f1980f01dc4342b369a6b3b6...](https://gist.github.com/nicolewhite/f1980f01dc4342b369a6b3b6950a40c2)

------
elcapitan
tldr: This is not a database of the Panama Papers, but of the Offshore Leaks.

~~~
baltcode
No really, this is confusing. OP and the person who downvoted this, it's
better to explain. There is Offshore Leaks and there is Panama Leaks. Or is
there a different offshore leaks, and Panama papers are also called offshore
leaks?

~~~
phasmantistes
The Offshore Secrets (2013) was a specific leak about British offshore
holdings in the Virgin Islands. The Panama Papers (2016) is a specific leak
about offshore holdings managed by Mossack Fonseca in Panama.

This database contains data from the Panama Papers and from what the ICIJ is
calling the "Offshore Leaks", which is a conglomeration of the Offshore
Secrets and other smaller leaks between then and now.

------
B1FF_PSUVM
The most salient feature is that there is nothing about the really big fish.
The ones with really competent lawyers and accountants. The ones that aren't
in the papers.

So, we get a lot of heat and noise about middling wealthy people who used a
second tier firm to bank monies. Because said firm dropped a lot of documents
on the floor, perhaps when their arm was accidentally jogged ...

It might even send the message that some people outside the right circles,
hired help and social climbers, should be careful when aping their betters,
because they may find their nuts caught in a vise.

(The second most salient feature is how the press is enthusiastic and
cooperative about this, when they studiously ignored similar items in the
past. Wonderful.)

