German investigators pay 5 million for Panama Papers to hunt global tax criminals
The German Federal Criminal Police Office said on Tuesday that it has purchased the vast amount of leaked data known as the Panama Papers, which revealed the legally dubious offshore activities of celebrities, politicians and sports stars last year.
While the BKA would not disclose details about the purchase, government sources told DPA that the data had been bought from a “source” within the past year for €5 million.
The Panama Papers created a stir worldwide last year when German newspaper the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), along with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), published details of the 11.5 million leaked documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.
The documents revealed financial information of Mossack clients such as the Saudi Arabian King, Argentine football star Lionel Messi, the father of former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, and four other sitting heads of government.
At: https://www.thelocal.de/20170705/german-investigators-pay-5-million-for-panama-papers-to-hunt-global-tax-criminals