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The Panama Papers: Breaking the Story of How the Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money
Late one evening, investigative journalist Bastian Obermayer receives an anonymous message offering him access to secret data. Through encrypted channels, he then receives documents revealing how the president of Argentina has sequestered millions of dollars of state money for private use. This is just the beginning.
Obermayer and fellow Süddeutsche journalist Frederik Obermaier find themselves immersed in the secret world where complex networks of letterbox companies help the super-rich to hide their money. Faced with the contents of the largest data leak in history, they activate an international network of journalists to follow every possible line of inquiry. Operating in the strictest secrecy for over a year, they uncover cases involving European prime ministers and international dictators, emirs and kings, celebrities and aristocrats. The real-life thriller behind the story of the century, The Panama Papers is an intense, unputdownable account that proves, once and for all, that there exists a small elite living by a different set of rules and blows their secret world wide open.
Obermayer and fellow Süddeutsche journalist Frederik Obermaier find themselves immersed in the secret world where complex networks of letterbox companies help the super-rich to hide their money. Faced with the contents of the largest data leak in history, they activate an international network of journalists to follow every possible line of inquiry. Operating in the strictest secrecy for over a year, they uncover cases involving European prime ministers and international dictators, emirs and kings, celebrities and aristocrats. The real-life thriller behind the story of the century, The Panama Papers is an intense, unputdownable account that proves, once and for all, that there exists a small elite living by a different set of rules and blows their secret world wide open.
366 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
980 people are currently reading
7181 people want to read
About the author
Frederik Obermaier
18 books16 followersFrederik Obermaier is an investigative journalist for the Munich-based newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and author. Together with his colleague Bastian Obermayer in 2016 he initiated and coordinated the Panama Papers-revelations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 412 reviews
October 13, 2018
Despite the very real continuing abuses born of anti-Semitism, born of racism and sexism and homophobia, there are MPs and leaders who are female, Jewish, black or gay. There are none who are poor. There never have been, and there never will be.
—Alan Moore, Jerusalem
Bastian Obermayer and Frederik Obermaier (not related) must have thought all their Christmases had come at once when the Panama Papers data landed in their lap. At some 2.6 terabytes of information, it dwarfed previous data breaches – it's about 100 times the size of all documents ever released by Wikileaks, for example. How do you even start with that mountain of information?
What in fact they did was form a kind of global working group, pulling in journalists from 107 different media companies in eighty countries – and even then they spent more than a year going through the data before publishing.
The data was leaked from a Panamanian company called Mossack Fonseca, which specialises in setting up anonymous shell companies. These shell companies aren't illegal in themselves, but they're easily used to hide money from the authorities, which means they can be a way of evading taxes or – even more dangerously – of bypassing international sanctions. Mossack Fonseca's client list included heads of state, CEOs, African warlords, child rapists and everything in between, and the company was virtually indiscrimiate in who they would happily do business with.
The mechanics of how this money is kept hidden and kept anonymous are interesting, but the real takeaways are fairly simple. People who have a very great deal of wealth often simply don't bother paying taxes on most of it; they live in a world which has completely different rules, and governments who try to pursue them will soon find themselves under pressure from banks, multinationals, and the super-rich – what the Swiss campaigner Jean Ziegler calls ‘the world dictatorship of globalized financial capital’.
The offshore system is therefore doubly detrimental. On the one hand, it is used to directly finance some of the most dangerous and destructive people in the world: it poses, as the Brothers Obermay/ier put it, ‘an existential threat to millions of people’. And on the other hand, it is the driver for a kind of neofeudal redistribution of money – in Nicholas Shaxson's words, the ‘biggest force for shifting wealth and power from the poor to the rich in history’.
What struck me most forcefully was something that was not even really spelled out, it's so obvious: that so many of the people in power are so very rich. The problem is not just that some of our leaders are bad or immoral – it's that all of them have great wealth combined with a stream of opportunities to cheat the system.
It is tempting to nod cynically over these revelations, but this is, I think, just another form of complaisancy. Anger is better. Cynics would also do well to note how, despite fears over ‘mainstream media’, there are still hundreds of newspapers and broadcasters that will devote enormous time and resources to investigations like this, even when they contain damaging information about their own proprietors (which was sometimes the case here). But they depend on a public response.
And in this case, there was a response – the Icelandic premier was forced out, Spanish ministers resigned, and a string of scandals and new legislation was generated across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. (Mossack Fonseca themselves very sadly had to close down earlier this year, after suffering the ‘economic and reputational damage’ they so richly deserved.)
Of course, Mossack Fonseca was only one of many similar firms. But the tone is welcome: there are possible solutions, there are angles of attack, and The Panama Papers spells them out. This book manages to give you an unprecedented insight into what we're up against, but it doesn't neglect to show that there are still a few ways, at least, to envisage making a real change.
November 22, 2020
Ha valaki nem szereti „(…) bibliája” jellegű könyvmeghatározásokat, az most gördüljön át egy sornyit, de: ez a könyv az oknyomozó újságírás bibliája, úgy bizony. Megható látni, hogy olyan emberek írták, akik szemmel (mivel mással?) láthatóan hisznek még abban, hogy a sajtó a Negyedik Hatalom, hogy megírni valamit olyan, mint a napfényre hozni azt, amit a sötétbe akarnak rejteni – olyan dolog tehát, amitől a világ körvonalai letisztulnak. A sorosgyörgymegetteasajátanyját típusú kormányzati fake news világában az ember hüledezve olvas olyat, hogy pár bajor ifjú titán packázik a kormányokkal, a rendőrséggel, egy sötét szobában (ahol csak a laptop világít) mocskos bűnökre vadászik, és ha elfárad, egy vödör kávéba dugja a fejét.
Miről is szól ez a könyv? Arról, hogy egy szép napon egy névtelen informátor virtuálisan bekopogtatott a Süddeutsche Zeitung szerkesztőségéhez, hogy van némi adata. Ez a némi adat aztán annyi terabájtnak bizonyult, hogy én azt le se merem írni, mert már pusztán attól lefagyna a goodreads szervere. Nekifeküdtek hát, és kiderült, hogy amit kaptak, az az évszázad botránya: kiszivárogtatott adathegy arról, hogyan terelik el a pénzüket a világ leggazdagabbjai az olyan adóparadicsomokba, mint Panama, a Mossack Fonseca ügyvédi iroda segítségével, aki az offshore cégek igazi szakértője.
De mi is az az offshore? Hivatalosan azt a cégtípust értjük alatta, amiben a cégbejegyzés helyén az adott cég nem végez tevékenységet. Többnyire van egy névleges haszonélvező, aki a cég vezetőjeként szerepel, de mögötte valójában valaki egészen más áll – olyasvalaki, aki nem szeretné, ha a jónép tudná, valójában mennyi pénz fölött rendelkezik.
No de kik is ezek az „olyasvalakik”?
1.) Azok a politikusok, cégvezetők, sportolók és filmsztárok, akik nem kívánják megfizetni hazájukban a magas adósávval járó költségeket, ezért vagyonukat kedvező adózási konstrukciókat kínáló államokban (vö. „adóparadicsom”) kívánják parkoltatni.
2.) Azok a diktátorok, akik országukat fejőstehénnek nézik, és kiszivattyúzzák a nemzeti vagyont az efféle ügyleteket nagyvonalúan kezelő államokba (vö.: „adóparadicsom”).
3.) Azok a bűnözők, fegyver- és drogkereskedők, akik szeretnék pénzüket tisztára mosni kamucégek segítségével, lehetőleg egy olyan országban, ahol a bankszakemberek nem különösebben finnyásak (vö.: „adóparadicsom”).
És hát azt kell mondjam, nem kis pénz ám, amiről szó van. Egyes közgazdászok szerint a világ vagyonának 8%-a, azaz 5900 milliárd euró, háromnegyede után pedig egy lyukas fitying adót se fizetnek. Jó sok moly.hu-t lehetne venni ennyiből. Ez az a pénz, amit ezek a jól öltözött ágyi poloskák szépen leszívnak a világból, eldugják – mert adót ugye elég, ha a szegények fizetnek. Akinek van pénze, az tudja a módját, hogyan lehet az efféle macerákat kikerülni, és partnert is talál hozzá az adóparadicsomok személyében, akik igazi parazitaállamok: abból a pénzből élnek, amit a kuncsaftjaik eltitkolnak a többi ország adóhatósága elől. Ezzel pedig szépen, módszeresen segédkeznek a társadalmi szolidaritás aláásásában, mert ahol a társadalom egy része nem kíván részt venni a teherviselésben, viszont az anyagi eszközök jó részét birtokolni kívánja, az már nem is demokrácia, hanem egyfajta újfeudalizmus.
Különben meg olvassa ezt a könyvet az ember, és érzi, hogy tenni kell valamit, mert rossz vége lesz. Holnap meg is karcolom egy Lamborghini fényezését. Vagy lerohanom Svájcot. (Panamát nem. Annyira jól nem tudok úszni.)
Ui.: amúgy ebben a könyvben benne van, hogy az Amazon is ügyeskedik az adóelkerüléssel. Ideírtam. Kíváncsian várom, hogy rejtik-e miatta az értékelésemet.
Miről is szól ez a könyv? Arról, hogy egy szép napon egy névtelen informátor virtuálisan bekopogtatott a Süddeutsche Zeitung szerkesztőségéhez, hogy van némi adata. Ez a némi adat aztán annyi terabájtnak bizonyult, hogy én azt le se merem írni, mert már pusztán attól lefagyna a goodreads szervere. Nekifeküdtek hát, és kiderült, hogy amit kaptak, az az évszázad botránya: kiszivárogtatott adathegy arról, hogyan terelik el a pénzüket a világ leggazdagabbjai az olyan adóparadicsomokba, mint Panama, a Mossack Fonseca ügyvédi iroda segítségével, aki az offshore cégek igazi szakértője.
De mi is az az offshore? Hivatalosan azt a cégtípust értjük alatta, amiben a cégbejegyzés helyén az adott cég nem végez tevékenységet. Többnyire van egy névleges haszonélvező, aki a cég vezetőjeként szerepel, de mögötte valójában valaki egészen más áll – olyasvalaki, aki nem szeretné, ha a jónép tudná, valójában mennyi pénz fölött rendelkezik.
No de kik is ezek az „olyasvalakik”?
1.) Azok a politikusok, cégvezetők, sportolók és filmsztárok, akik nem kívánják megfizetni hazájukban a magas adósávval járó költségeket, ezért vagyonukat kedvező adózási konstrukciókat kínáló államokban (vö. „adóparadicsom”) kívánják parkoltatni.
2.) Azok a diktátorok, akik országukat fejőstehénnek nézik, és kiszivattyúzzák a nemzeti vagyont az efféle ügyleteket nagyvonalúan kezelő államokba (vö.: „adóparadicsom”).
3.) Azok a bűnözők, fegyver- és drogkereskedők, akik szeretnék pénzüket tisztára mosni kamucégek segítségével, lehetőleg egy olyan országban, ahol a bankszakemberek nem különösebben finnyásak (vö.: „adóparadicsom”).
És hát azt kell mondjam, nem kis pénz ám, amiről szó van. Egyes közgazdászok szerint a világ vagyonának 8%-a, azaz 5900 milliárd euró, háromnegyede után pedig egy lyukas fitying adót se fizetnek. Jó sok moly.hu-t lehetne venni ennyiből. Ez az a pénz, amit ezek a jól öltözött ágyi poloskák szépen leszívnak a világból, eldugják – mert adót ugye elég, ha a szegények fizetnek. Akinek van pénze, az tudja a módját, hogyan lehet az efféle macerákat kikerülni, és partnert is talál hozzá az adóparadicsomok személyében, akik igazi parazitaállamok: abból a pénzből élnek, amit a kuncsaftjaik eltitkolnak a többi ország adóhatósága elől. Ezzel pedig szépen, módszeresen segédkeznek a társadalmi szolidaritás aláásásában, mert ahol a társadalom egy része nem kíván részt venni a teherviselésben, viszont az anyagi eszközök jó részét birtokolni kívánja, az már nem is demokrácia, hanem egyfajta újfeudalizmus.
Különben meg olvassa ezt a könyvet az ember, és érzi, hogy tenni kell valamit, mert rossz vége lesz. Holnap meg is karcolom egy Lamborghini fényezését. Vagy lerohanom Svájcot. (Panamát nem. Annyira jól nem tudok úszni.)
Ui.: amúgy ebben a könyvben benne van, hogy az Amazon is ügyeskedik az adóelkerüléssel. Ideírtam. Kíváncsian várom, hogy rejtik-e miatta az értékelésemet.
July 20, 2016
I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, for me it simply raised many more questions than it answered. Ostensibly, the book is an attempt to let readers know how the authors, journalists at Süddeutsche Zeitung, a major newspaper based in Munich, Germany came to be in the possession of 2.6 terabytes of data from a Panamanian law firm Mossack and Fonseca. This law firm is accused of setting up shell companies for well known politicians, wealthy individuals and, in some cases, known criminals. While the author points out that it is not illegal to own a shell company, the case made in this book is that Mossack and Fonseca did not follow established practices of due diligence in order to weed out risky clients. It appears from the data presented in the book that Mossack and Fonseca cared very little about the process of due diligence and they were not concerned whether their clients were high risk individuals or what their motives were for creating shell companies.
One of the first things that disturbed me about this book is the fact that the journalists were associated with an organization entitled International Consortium for Investigative Journalists, based in Washington, D.C.. One of the main financial contributors to this organization is the billionaire George Soros, himself no stranger to controversy. But nowhere in this book are we assured that Mr. Soros is not also a beneficiary of such legal constructs. Something which I would have expected. The source of the data leak is simply referred to as John Doe. The fact that I have no idea who the source is or was, makes me very weary about receiving all this information and taking it at face value. Throughout the book, I was wondering who this person could be and what his motives were.
Finally, at the end of the book John Doe provides some answers to these questions. He tells the reader that he is not working for any government or intelligence service or as a contractor for either. Yet, I wonder throughout the book why there are so few American individuals and corporations mentioned. John Doe further informs the reader that although he feels something should be done to stop people using shell companies to evade taxes and to stop law firms like Mossack and Fonseca from providing cover for these people, he is too afraid to reveal his identity, for fear that it might ruin his life. Somehow the fact that he wanted to have his cake and eat it too, just annoyed me. It seems alright for him to pass judgment on all the people he exposes but neither they nor the reader of this book can do so regarding him and his use of, what is after all, stolen data.
Also, I have a problem with the fact that both John Doe and the authors who interpret the data condemn the actions of wealthy individuals and politicians for using the services like those provided by Mossack Fonseca but they themselves have no problem stealing the data and then using it to create a book that can be published and sold to the public, thereby generating revenue for themselves and others.
On a more mundane level, I found the book somewhat repetitious as it kept coming back to the same individuals and companies over and over. For those who follow international news regularly there seems little of note to be found in this book.
Thanks to Library Thing and One World Publications for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at: www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com
One of the first things that disturbed me about this book is the fact that the journalists were associated with an organization entitled International Consortium for Investigative Journalists, based in Washington, D.C.. One of the main financial contributors to this organization is the billionaire George Soros, himself no stranger to controversy. But nowhere in this book are we assured that Mr. Soros is not also a beneficiary of such legal constructs. Something which I would have expected. The source of the data leak is simply referred to as John Doe. The fact that I have no idea who the source is or was, makes me very weary about receiving all this information and taking it at face value. Throughout the book, I was wondering who this person could be and what his motives were.
Finally, at the end of the book John Doe provides some answers to these questions. He tells the reader that he is not working for any government or intelligence service or as a contractor for either. Yet, I wonder throughout the book why there are so few American individuals and corporations mentioned. John Doe further informs the reader that although he feels something should be done to stop people using shell companies to evade taxes and to stop law firms like Mossack and Fonseca from providing cover for these people, he is too afraid to reveal his identity, for fear that it might ruin his life. Somehow the fact that he wanted to have his cake and eat it too, just annoyed me. It seems alright for him to pass judgment on all the people he exposes but neither they nor the reader of this book can do so regarding him and his use of, what is after all, stolen data.
Also, I have a problem with the fact that both John Doe and the authors who interpret the data condemn the actions of wealthy individuals and politicians for using the services like those provided by Mossack Fonseca but they themselves have no problem stealing the data and then using it to create a book that can be published and sold to the public, thereby generating revenue for themselves and others.
On a more mundane level, I found the book somewhat repetitious as it kept coming back to the same individuals and companies over and over. For those who follow international news regularly there seems little of note to be found in this book.
Thanks to Library Thing and One World Publications for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at: www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com
May 14, 2017
This is probably the most exciting non-fiction book I have read in the last few years. It reads like a thriller, it reads like fiction and just hooked me and fascinated me. I had a small crisis in between, I was travelling for work and plowing through it, 2/3 in I forgot it on the plane and had to wait until I could obtain a second copy... Drama all around.
Why did I like this story? First of all I had already read about the Panama Papers, the leaks, and the names of very famous and rich people involved so I dived head first into it and never for a second was I disappointed. Secondly it helps as a stark reminder that the global world of business, money, taxes it completely bonkers, why does anyone think it is a good idea to legalise tax havens? Why does EU member states with otherwise strong, legal, systems allow the richest and the brightest to steal from all other citizens?
Can we expect more from the brilliant journalists Obermaier/Obermayer behind it? I don't know but I have already started following their work on SZ and it reignited my interest in what is going on, I had gotten a bit fed up with Brexit, Trump and what have you...
Why did I like this story? First of all I had already read about the Panama Papers, the leaks, and the names of very famous and rich people involved so I dived head first into it and never for a second was I disappointed. Secondly it helps as a stark reminder that the global world of business, money, taxes it completely bonkers, why does anyone think it is a good idea to legalise tax havens? Why does EU member states with otherwise strong, legal, systems allow the richest and the brightest to steal from all other citizens?
Can we expect more from the brilliant journalists Obermaier/Obermayer behind it? I don't know but I have already started following their work on SZ and it reignited my interest in what is going on, I had gotten a bit fed up with Brexit, Trump and what have you...
September 29, 2016
'Reads like a thriller,' meaning it's fast paced, shallow, interesting, uninformative, and atrociously translated. For goodness sake, one just doesn't use the historical present in English!
A great project, but a mediocre book.
A great project, but a mediocre book.
January 8, 2018
Os irmãos Obermay/ier (que não são irmãos, mas têm um sobrenome parecido) foram os primeiros a receber os dados que acabaram se tornando o maior vazamento de dados financeiros do mundo. O livro foi escrito enquanto eles recebiam e faziam a primeira análise de dados e termina com a publicação coletiva das primeiras reportagens. Por isso mesmo, senti que ficou devendo a parte sobre as consequências das publicações. E um tanto de prolixidade com a parte de como o computador que usavam para analisar os dados foi ficando cheio e precisaram comprar novas máquinas.
Mesmo assim, é uma leitura bem legal, detalhando como começaram a ligar os pontos e entender como os mais ricos fazem para criar companhias offshore e basicamente escolher se querem pagar impostos. Eles passam por vários países, contam o cagaço dos jornalistas russos e de outros cantos e como um jornal alemão acabou se tornando a sede desse e mais vários outros vazamentos. Vou precisar de outros livros para uma visão mais geral.
Mesmo assim, é uma leitura bem legal, detalhando como começaram a ligar os pontos e entender como os mais ricos fazem para criar companhias offshore e basicamente escolher se querem pagar impostos. Eles passam por vários países, contam o cagaço dos jornalistas russos e de outros cantos e como um jornal alemão acabou se tornando a sede desse e mais vários outros vazamentos. Vou precisar de outros livros para uma visão mais geral.
December 7, 2016
Sebelum ini, saya membaca biografi Elon Musk dan langsung merasa kalau saat ini sudah tidak banyak inovasi "nyata" yang dibuat oleh umat manusia. Ketika membaca buku ini saya pun langsung merasakan hal yang sama. Kali ini, saya merasakan begitu kurangnya jurnalisme investigasi yang muncul akhir-akhir ini.
Panama Papers pun seperti menjadi oase di tengah padang pasir jurnalisme investigasi.
Laporan Panama Papers bermula dari pesan yang dikirimkan seorang sumber tidak dikenal (sebut saja John Doe) kepada jurnalis asal Jerman, Bastian Obermayer dan Frederik Obermaier, pada tahun 2015. Sejak saat itu, John Doe pun mulai memberikan banyak sekali data berupa transkrip email, database, hingga berbagai surat dalam bentuk PDF yang ternyata berasal dari firma hukum asal Panama, Mossack Fonseca.
Data-data tersebut mengungkap banyak sekali tokoh penting dunia, mulai dari Perdana Menteri Islandia, pimpinan negara Afrika, hingga bintang sepakbola Lionel Messi, yang mendirikan banyak sekali perusahaan fiktif di negara-negara "surga pajak". Hal ilegal tersebut mereka lakukan demi menghindari pajak, melakukan pencucian uang, atau untuk mengirimkan dana ke pihak-pihak terlarang.
John Doe terus mengirimkan data tersebut hingga besarnya mencapai 2,6 terabyte ketika Panama papers akhirnya dipublikasikan pada tanggal 3 April 2016. Karena besarnya data yang harus diperiksa, Bastian dan Frederik pun akhirnya meminta bantuan International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
Mereka akhirnya menggunakan software bernama Nuix untuk memudahkan mereka memeriksa keberadaan tokoh-tokoh penting di dalam data Panama Papers tersebut. Meski begitu, software tersebut tetap membutuhkan komputer dengan spesifikasi yang juga hebat. Pasangan jurnalis Jerman tersebut akhirnya membeli komputer seharga Rp200 juta untuk memproses seluruh data tersebut.
Karena begitu banyaknya nama tokoh penting di dalam laporan Panama Papers tersebut, beberapa jurnalis yang ikut bergabung dalam penyelidikan tersebut sempat merasa gelisah dengan keamanan mereka. Jurnalis di Rusia bersiap karena laporan tersebut menyebut-nyebut nama Presiden Putin, sedangkan jurnalis di Cina pun merasa khawatir karena ada beberapa nama tokoh penting pemerintahan yang juga disebut namanya.
Seorang jurnalis di Islandia bahkan sampai harus membuat situs khusus untuk mempublikasikan laporannya, karena hampir seluruh media di Islandia telah dikuasai oleh pihak-pihak yang namanya disebut dalam laporan Panama Papers.
Panama Papers menurut saya bukanlah akhir. Laporan ini hanyalah awal, baik untuk proses menghilangkan pembuatan perusahaan fiktif untuk menghindari pajak, maupun sebagai awal dari lebih banyak laporan jurnalisme investigasi yang akan muncul setelah ini.
Panama Papers pun seperti menjadi oase di tengah padang pasir jurnalisme investigasi.
Laporan Panama Papers bermula dari pesan yang dikirimkan seorang sumber tidak dikenal (sebut saja John Doe) kepada jurnalis asal Jerman, Bastian Obermayer dan Frederik Obermaier, pada tahun 2015. Sejak saat itu, John Doe pun mulai memberikan banyak sekali data berupa transkrip email, database, hingga berbagai surat dalam bentuk PDF yang ternyata berasal dari firma hukum asal Panama, Mossack Fonseca.
Data-data tersebut mengungkap banyak sekali tokoh penting dunia, mulai dari Perdana Menteri Islandia, pimpinan negara Afrika, hingga bintang sepakbola Lionel Messi, yang mendirikan banyak sekali perusahaan fiktif di negara-negara "surga pajak". Hal ilegal tersebut mereka lakukan demi menghindari pajak, melakukan pencucian uang, atau untuk mengirimkan dana ke pihak-pihak terlarang.
John Doe terus mengirimkan data tersebut hingga besarnya mencapai 2,6 terabyte ketika Panama papers akhirnya dipublikasikan pada tanggal 3 April 2016. Karena besarnya data yang harus diperiksa, Bastian dan Frederik pun akhirnya meminta bantuan International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
Mereka akhirnya menggunakan software bernama Nuix untuk memudahkan mereka memeriksa keberadaan tokoh-tokoh penting di dalam data Panama Papers tersebut. Meski begitu, software tersebut tetap membutuhkan komputer dengan spesifikasi yang juga hebat. Pasangan jurnalis Jerman tersebut akhirnya membeli komputer seharga Rp200 juta untuk memproses seluruh data tersebut.
Karena begitu banyaknya nama tokoh penting di dalam laporan Panama Papers tersebut, beberapa jurnalis yang ikut bergabung dalam penyelidikan tersebut sempat merasa gelisah dengan keamanan mereka. Jurnalis di Rusia bersiap karena laporan tersebut menyebut-nyebut nama Presiden Putin, sedangkan jurnalis di Cina pun merasa khawatir karena ada beberapa nama tokoh penting pemerintahan yang juga disebut namanya.
Seorang jurnalis di Islandia bahkan sampai harus membuat situs khusus untuk mempublikasikan laporannya, karena hampir seluruh media di Islandia telah dikuasai oleh pihak-pihak yang namanya disebut dalam laporan Panama Papers.
Panama Papers menurut saya bukanlah akhir. Laporan ini hanyalah awal, baik untuk proses menghilangkan pembuatan perusahaan fiktif untuk menghindari pajak, maupun sebagai awal dari lebih banyak laporan jurnalisme investigasi yang akan muncul setelah ini.
May 12, 2021
A fascinating scoop told by very shitty writers.
The Obermayers stumble on the biggest scoop of the decade, one that reveals the hidden yachts of the superrich politicians filching their people and squirreling it away so that they can sail at their leisure or rape 13-year-olds (seriously). Cram-packed with despicable behavior of the 1% we love to hate, this should have been an amazing book.
Unfortunately, it was written by the Obermayer, journalists (how are they journalists if they can't write?) who turn this exciting story into a long, listy book that gets bogged down in details and becomes, at times, sanctimonious.
Worth the read, but, geez, I wish they could write better.
The Obermayers stumble on the biggest scoop of the decade, one that reveals the hidden yachts of the superrich politicians filching their people and squirreling it away so that they can sail at their leisure or rape 13-year-olds (seriously). Cram-packed with despicable behavior of the 1% we love to hate, this should have been an amazing book.
Unfortunately, it was written by the Obermayer, journalists (how are they journalists if they can't write?) who turn this exciting story into a long, listy book that gets bogged down in details and becomes, at times, sanctimonious.
Worth the read, but, geez, I wish they could write better.
January 8, 2024
4.5/5
Very German in articulating and narration. At times it might seem bland in terms of narration but content is good. Highly recommended for people who are interested in aspects of society and wealth.
I believe we should take up on ourselves and educate our known ones about concealed wealth and it's harm towards the civil society since this is not taught to us in schools especially in countries like India. Bringing transparency in financial ecosystem so that anyone could know who owns whats would automatically solve lot of sponsored conflicts, genocides, dictatorial regimes , terrorism ,drugs , mafia, corruption etc since all of these exist with immunity due to their ability to conceal their wealth which is aided and abetted by tax havens and banks.
Very German in articulating and narration. At times it might seem bland in terms of narration but content is good. Highly recommended for people who are interested in aspects of society and wealth.
I believe we should take up on ourselves and educate our known ones about concealed wealth and it's harm towards the civil society since this is not taught to us in schools especially in countries like India. Bringing transparency in financial ecosystem so that anyone could know who owns whats would automatically solve lot of sponsored conflicts, genocides, dictatorial regimes , terrorism ,drugs , mafia, corruption etc since all of these exist with immunity due to their ability to conceal their wealth which is aided and abetted by tax havens and banks.
November 4, 2020
It was really interesting! Written almost like a political thriller, especially at the beginning.
August 24, 2022
I've only read about bits & pieces of the 2016 Panama Papers leak when it first came out, so when I saw this in the library catalogue, I knew it would be a wild ride. This is a necessary & very infuriating read, as it gives a detailed account of the way the offshore industry enabled money laundering business for a high number of highly influential people. We're talking about world leaders for nations, billionaires and oligarchs from various countries embezzling a huge amount of money here (billions of dollars, if not trillions), which they then secrete away into their slush funds which are housed in these 'tax haven' islands.
The amount of detail Obermayer & co have incorporated into this book were very useful, because really, you'd have to read it to appreciate it. It's also intriguing to read the behind-the-scenes of this massive leak of information, and the work that went into ensuring that the leak and its informant stayed on the down low is commendable.
And the best thing is, the release of the Panama Papers is only the beginning. With the recent release of the Pandora Papers in 2021, there are a lot more nasty surprises in store for us gullible taxpayers, and I hope there's more leak coming because these people deserve getting their name smeared in the mud for what they have been doing.
The most galling thing when I read about the Pandora Papers was finding out that the former and current Malaysian Finance Minister is suspected to have opened their own offshore companies/accounts -- whether or not these were done following the letter of the law is still unknown, but I suspect that most of the people who have an offshore account are up to something sketchy. After all, if you have a legitimate business & you're paying your taxes, why do you need offshore accounts for your wealth in the first place? Wallahualam & kau pikirlah sendiri.
Anyway, great book on the leak of Panama Papers! A bit dry and straightforward bit of journalism at times, but a highly recommended read if you'd like to know the details of how the expose went down.
The amount of detail Obermayer & co have incorporated into this book were very useful, because really, you'd have to read it to appreciate it. It's also intriguing to read the behind-the-scenes of this massive leak of information, and the work that went into ensuring that the leak and its informant stayed on the down low is commendable.
And the best thing is, the release of the Panama Papers is only the beginning. With the recent release of the Pandora Papers in 2021, there are a lot more nasty surprises in store for us gullible taxpayers, and I hope there's more leak coming because these people deserve getting their name smeared in the mud for what they have been doing.
The most galling thing when I read about the Pandora Papers was finding out that the former and current Malaysian Finance Minister is suspected to have opened their own offshore companies/accounts -- whether or not these were done following the letter of the law is still unknown, but I suspect that most of the people who have an offshore account are up to something sketchy. After all, if you have a legitimate business & you're paying your taxes, why do you need offshore accounts for your wealth in the first place? Wallahualam & kau pikirlah sendiri.
Anyway, great book on the leak of Panama Papers! A bit dry and straightforward bit of journalism at times, but a highly recommended read if you'd like to know the details of how the expose went down.
February 8, 2017
Spicuiri din recenzia finala care se gaseste pe blogul meu
..........................................
Panama Papers sunt cea mai mare scurgere de informații și asta nu pentru că o spune Snowden ci pentru că documetele livrate măsoară 2,6 terabytes.
Nu am de gând să intru în detalii și întrebări legate de interesul acestui John Doe, de faptul că George Soros este în spatele ICIJ, respectiv o susține cu bani și faptul că ICIJ a decis să-i ajute pe cei doi jurnaliști germani să-și organizeze și finalizeze investigația și că umbra lui Soros plutește cumva deasupra paginilor acestei cărți etc.
Vreau să spun câteva vorbe strict despre carte, respectiv cât de faină-i toată investigația asta a Obermayer-ilor. De mult nu am mai citit un thriller atât de palpitant, atât de complex și cu atât de multe ramificații. Strict ca roman de spionaj, aventură, thriller, Panama Papers este genial! Te ține cu sufletul la gură!
Băieții chiar au reușit să scoată o carte care se poate citi de către oricine și poate să ia din ea ce vrea și ce-i trebuie. Informațiile despre diferiți demnitari și oameni influenți cu privire la modul de a face banii dispăruți astfel încât să nu bată la ochi averile lor sunt pentru mine deosebit de interesante și palpitante. Modul în care se fac aceste matrapazlâcuri, care nu sunt neapărat ilegale, cu băieții la Mossack Fonseca care pot să fie acuzați de prostie, nu neapărat de rea-voință, pentru că așa cum susțin jurnaliștii, nu au verificat, de fapt, informațiile pe care le-au primit de la clienți este cu adevărat un subiect demn de un scenariu pentru un serial de succes!
În fine, sistemul o dată demascat, dacă chiar este demascat, oferă muritorului de rând două opțiuni mari și late: să urască și mai mult șmecherii care-s putred de bogați și deși au de unde, tot nu-și plătesc taxele dar asta să nu-l facă să se gândească la un linșaj public; sau să-i admire și mai mult pentru tupeul de care dau dovadă și să-i voteze, susțină și mai abitir decât înainte.
E o carte foarte faină care merită citită, indiferent de învățămintele și concluziile pe care alegi să le tragi. Până la urmă, e vorba de perspectivă.
.......................................
..........................................
Panama Papers sunt cea mai mare scurgere de informații și asta nu pentru că o spune Snowden ci pentru că documetele livrate măsoară 2,6 terabytes.
Nu am de gând să intru în detalii și întrebări legate de interesul acestui John Doe, de faptul că George Soros este în spatele ICIJ, respectiv o susține cu bani și faptul că ICIJ a decis să-i ajute pe cei doi jurnaliști germani să-și organizeze și finalizeze investigația și că umbra lui Soros plutește cumva deasupra paginilor acestei cărți etc.
Vreau să spun câteva vorbe strict despre carte, respectiv cât de faină-i toată investigația asta a Obermayer-ilor. De mult nu am mai citit un thriller atât de palpitant, atât de complex și cu atât de multe ramificații. Strict ca roman de spionaj, aventură, thriller, Panama Papers este genial! Te ține cu sufletul la gură!
Băieții chiar au reușit să scoată o carte care se poate citi de către oricine și poate să ia din ea ce vrea și ce-i trebuie. Informațiile despre diferiți demnitari și oameni influenți cu privire la modul de a face banii dispăruți astfel încât să nu bată la ochi averile lor sunt pentru mine deosebit de interesante și palpitante. Modul în care se fac aceste matrapazlâcuri, care nu sunt neapărat ilegale, cu băieții la Mossack Fonseca care pot să fie acuzați de prostie, nu neapărat de rea-voință, pentru că așa cum susțin jurnaliștii, nu au verificat, de fapt, informațiile pe care le-au primit de la clienți este cu adevărat un subiect demn de un scenariu pentru un serial de succes!
În fine, sistemul o dată demascat, dacă chiar este demascat, oferă muritorului de rând două opțiuni mari și late: să urască și mai mult șmecherii care-s putred de bogați și deși au de unde, tot nu-și plătesc taxele dar asta să nu-l facă să se gândească la un linșaj public; sau să-i admire și mai mult pentru tupeul de care dau dovadă și să-i voteze, susțină și mai abitir decât înainte.
E o carte foarte faină care merită citită, indiferent de învățămintele și concluziile pe care alegi să le tragi. Până la urmă, e vorba de perspectivă.
.......................................
February 2, 2018
Want to see just how greedy, corrupt and morally bankrupt people and institutions can be? Then this is the book for you. It’s heavy on the important yet boring details of the leak but uses them brilliantly to reveal dirty truths about Syria, Russia, Iceland etc. The punches just keep coming. What I loved most is the collaborative nature of this investigation that had the best journalists from around the world working on it. To the customer who told me I had to read it so we could chat about it, I’m ready.
January 4, 2021
Das Buch zeigt für Laien verständlich, wie die Welt der Offshore-Steuervermeidung funktioniert und welche dunklen Machenschaften durch sie überhaupt erst ermöglicht werden. Die Autoren vergessen auch nicht zu erwähnen, dass sie den bis dato größten Leak aus einer Steueroase in die Finger bekommen haben. Die beiden Obermai/yers sind streckenweise leider ziemlich selbstbesoffen ob des unglaublichen Glücks, dass die Quelle sich zuerst an sie gewendet hat - geschenkt.
Was leider ein Minuspunkt ist: Das Buch wurde kurz vor knapp fertiggestellt und das merkt man auch. Die journalistische Aufbereitung der Skandale, Skandälchen und Mutmaßungen kommt daher kurz, alles schwebt auf einer moralisierenden Wolke. Systemische Fehler einer Staatengemeinschaft, die um diese Konstrukte schon lange weiß, werden nur am Rande berücksichtigt. Eher geht es um entfernte Verwandte chinesischer Regionalpolitiker, die hierzulande kein Schwein kennt.
Was leider ein Minuspunkt ist: Das Buch wurde kurz vor knapp fertiggestellt und das merkt man auch. Die journalistische Aufbereitung der Skandale, Skandälchen und Mutmaßungen kommt daher kurz, alles schwebt auf einer moralisierenden Wolke. Systemische Fehler einer Staatengemeinschaft, die um diese Konstrukte schon lange weiß, werden nur am Rande berücksichtigt. Eher geht es um entfernte Verwandte chinesischer Regionalpolitiker, die hierzulande kein Schwein kennt.
April 24, 2020
A lot of information to take in. But wowee the Uber wealthy have it all. A little bit depressing knowing that we'll always be part of the 99%ers... If you ever want to do illegal business just setup an offshore shell company and you'll be away laughing. 4 stars
September 6, 2020
One of the pain areas that the rich and the powerful have is about parking their excess money. It is more so if it’s procured in an illegal way. Such people might be having a compelling reason to camouflage their business dealings. They want to hide something from taxman, wife, business partner, business investor or prying eyes of the public. This something might be property, investments, shares, securities, bank account, or even paintings. They want to use their money without evoking any suspicion. They can bootstrap out from any predicament by making their dirty money clean and the means to do it through shell companies. There are thousands of them and their USP is anonymity. Though they have the outward appearance of being a legitimate business all they do is to manage money. They hide the true owners and origin of the money. The shell companies are part of a secretive industry where rich and the powerful hide their asset and set up companies in far-flung jurisdictions. They help their clients to operate behind the veil and secrecy. The clients are not only involved in tax evasion but also in bribery, arms deal, financial frauds, and drug trafficking.
On 3rd April 2016, we came to know about the biggest data breach in history. The repercussion of the scandal touched every corner of the globe. The existence of tax havens was already known but the astonishment factor was the sheer scale of revelations, which dwarfs even the data size released by WikiLeaks in 2010. The biggest data leak was known as Panama Papers. It created an overnight sensation and caused widespread anger. Eleven million documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca was passed to the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which then shared it with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists(ICIJ). It contains 2.6 terabytes of data. For a year, a team of 370 journalists accessed and researched the collection. The matter was completely kept secret by all journalists until they agreed-upon a date when a report of the leak’s existence was published for the first time. The documents revealed how the firm had assisted companies and individuals from more than 200 countries to hide their money in offshore accounts, tax havens, and shell companies. It disclosed how the superrich avails these means to conceal their wealth, escape public scrutiny, dodge sanctions, and avoid paying taxes. Even suspected criminals use it to launder illicit earnings. Who leaked the documents to the German journalists in the first place? Nobody knows who leaked the documents. The person is anonymous even to the German journalist.
Now, who all are mentioned in the papers? The names were revealed and related statistics made it not only interesting but staggering as well. Over 140+ politicians and family members of government officials from 33 countries were named in the leak. Some of the prominent names were Argentina President Mauricio Macri, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Iceland Prime Minister Sigmunder Gunnlaugsson and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawab Sharif. Other includes brother-in-law of China’s President Xi Jinping, son of former Egyptian President, former vice president of Iraq, associate and close friend of Vladimir Putin. Accomplices of African dictators, Central American drug barons and convicted sex offenders too figured in the list. The scandal also touches football’s governing body, FIFA. The list is endless. The list of famous people in this dirty and murkier world is so extensive that you are going to lose track.
The chief protagonist Mossack Fonseca was the 4th largest provider of offshore services. It has acted as a registered agent for more than two lakh companies. The firm has handled around 3 trillion-dollar worth of transactions, for their clients from more than 100 countries. The firm was based in Panama and it ran a worldwide operation. It operated in tax havens like Switzerland, Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands. It administered offshore firms for a yearly fee. Its other services included wealth management. The firm had vehemently denied it’s involvement in any wrong-doings. It had always maintained that and had never worked directly with any end clients but only with intermediaries like an asset manager, manager, accounts, lawyers, bank and trust companies. It defended its conduct and claimed to comply with anti-money laundering laws and carry out thorough due diligence on all its clients. It has been masquerading its identity and intent from the world.
What ensued after the leak? As expected, the aftermath was on the predicted line. The story attracted attention among the media and the public. It triggered far more responses from the political sphere. Tax evasion was considered a serious and pressing problem that needs to be tackled. The dedicated committee was set up for inquiry. Raids and investigations were carried out in several countries including Mossack Fonseca's headquarters in Panama. The banks were instructed to hand over all their data on business dealings with the firm. It besmirched the reputation of politicians and particularly people holding high positions in government came under tremendous pressure. The protesters hit the streets and there were demonstrations outside the government offices. Due to the Panama Paper leaks, around 6000 individuals and companies were under investigation worldwide. A large number of clients have fled Mossack Fonseca and switched to competitor offshore companies. The leak obviously had a deleterious effect on the company, who started it all. Due to the damage that is done to their finance and reputation, Mossack Fonseca closed down in 2018, after 41 years in the business.
The country which has been at the receiving end is Panama. There was a time when a huge proportion of drugs used to pass through it. It was notorious for the same reason and was called narcokleptocracy, a term coined by a former presidential candidate John Kerry. It has emerged out of the uncertain past but the dishonesty and illegal tag refuse to go. There has been an allegation that the country is filled with dishonest lawyers, dishonest bankers, dishonest company formation agents, and dishonest companies. It’s an attractive destination for money laundering and had become a hub for shenanigans.
It’s a neo-feudal concentration of wealth, where a small group of rich people is not only hiding their money and avoiding taxes but also evading the law. There are dozens of companies worldwide that specialize in selling shell companies. In the tax havens, you simply cannot set up shell companies yourself and would need a registered agent, who would prepare all the paperwork required by the local authorities and looks after the payment of the annual fee. As mentioned before, most of these companies do not directly interact with the intermediaries. At least, that’s what most of these companies claim but it’s not always the case. Usually, the official address of the shell companies is the same as that of the registered agent. When you have a shell company, you don’t want it in countries like London, New York or Paris. The authorities can easily find out who owns it if they really want to. Instead, you need a tax haven and usually, it’s based out in small countries with a great deal of banking secrecy and very low non-existent taxes on financial transactions. It’s the secrecy that makes them attractive to tax evaders and crooks the world over. Whether the leak has completely vanquished such activities are debatable. It’s just the tip of the iceberg and difficult to predict any downturn in such a secretive world. Using offshore structures is legal though. There are many legitimate reasons for doing so like protecting it from raids by criminals and get around hard currency restrictions. Other use can be for the reason of inheritance and estate planning.
It’s an exhaustive account of the dirty, unsavory, murkier and opaque world of offshore companies. Despite the leaks and countless articles that followed, it’s still a difficult subject to grasp initially. You need to have a fair bit of understanding and about the modus operandi of these companies. Otherwise, it’s extremely difficult to follow. If you had not studied about the leaks in detail before, then the revelation of some names is still going to surprise you. It breaks your trust too in the system. If you have a basic understanding of the subject matter, then you are going to find it well narrated. Kudos to the author. Beyond that, the German journalist Bastian Obermayer with whom the whistle-blower first connected deserves praise for his dexterity and deft handling of the matter. So is, ICIJ for gathering such a large team from different countries for the project, who followed the necessary protocol of secrecy. Any book that has come out on the subject is the result of piggybacking on the team’s work. The subject matter deviates from what you and I usually read. The content is the king, which makes this book highly recommended
On 3rd April 2016, we came to know about the biggest data breach in history. The repercussion of the scandal touched every corner of the globe. The existence of tax havens was already known but the astonishment factor was the sheer scale of revelations, which dwarfs even the data size released by WikiLeaks in 2010. The biggest data leak was known as Panama Papers. It created an overnight sensation and caused widespread anger. Eleven million documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca was passed to the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which then shared it with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists(ICIJ). It contains 2.6 terabytes of data. For a year, a team of 370 journalists accessed and researched the collection. The matter was completely kept secret by all journalists until they agreed-upon a date when a report of the leak’s existence was published for the first time. The documents revealed how the firm had assisted companies and individuals from more than 200 countries to hide their money in offshore accounts, tax havens, and shell companies. It disclosed how the superrich avails these means to conceal their wealth, escape public scrutiny, dodge sanctions, and avoid paying taxes. Even suspected criminals use it to launder illicit earnings. Who leaked the documents to the German journalists in the first place? Nobody knows who leaked the documents. The person is anonymous even to the German journalist.
Now, who all are mentioned in the papers? The names were revealed and related statistics made it not only interesting but staggering as well. Over 140+ politicians and family members of government officials from 33 countries were named in the leak. Some of the prominent names were Argentina President Mauricio Macri, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Iceland Prime Minister Sigmunder Gunnlaugsson and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawab Sharif. Other includes brother-in-law of China’s President Xi Jinping, son of former Egyptian President, former vice president of Iraq, associate and close friend of Vladimir Putin. Accomplices of African dictators, Central American drug barons and convicted sex offenders too figured in the list. The scandal also touches football’s governing body, FIFA. The list is endless. The list of famous people in this dirty and murkier world is so extensive that you are going to lose track.
The chief protagonist Mossack Fonseca was the 4th largest provider of offshore services. It has acted as a registered agent for more than two lakh companies. The firm has handled around 3 trillion-dollar worth of transactions, for their clients from more than 100 countries. The firm was based in Panama and it ran a worldwide operation. It operated in tax havens like Switzerland, Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands. It administered offshore firms for a yearly fee. Its other services included wealth management. The firm had vehemently denied it’s involvement in any wrong-doings. It had always maintained that and had never worked directly with any end clients but only with intermediaries like an asset manager, manager, accounts, lawyers, bank and trust companies. It defended its conduct and claimed to comply with anti-money laundering laws and carry out thorough due diligence on all its clients. It has been masquerading its identity and intent from the world.
What ensued after the leak? As expected, the aftermath was on the predicted line. The story attracted attention among the media and the public. It triggered far more responses from the political sphere. Tax evasion was considered a serious and pressing problem that needs to be tackled. The dedicated committee was set up for inquiry. Raids and investigations were carried out in several countries including Mossack Fonseca's headquarters in Panama. The banks were instructed to hand over all their data on business dealings with the firm. It besmirched the reputation of politicians and particularly people holding high positions in government came under tremendous pressure. The protesters hit the streets and there were demonstrations outside the government offices. Due to the Panama Paper leaks, around 6000 individuals and companies were under investigation worldwide. A large number of clients have fled Mossack Fonseca and switched to competitor offshore companies. The leak obviously had a deleterious effect on the company, who started it all. Due to the damage that is done to their finance and reputation, Mossack Fonseca closed down in 2018, after 41 years in the business.
The country which has been at the receiving end is Panama. There was a time when a huge proportion of drugs used to pass through it. It was notorious for the same reason and was called narcokleptocracy, a term coined by a former presidential candidate John Kerry. It has emerged out of the uncertain past but the dishonesty and illegal tag refuse to go. There has been an allegation that the country is filled with dishonest lawyers, dishonest bankers, dishonest company formation agents, and dishonest companies. It’s an attractive destination for money laundering and had become a hub for shenanigans.
It’s a neo-feudal concentration of wealth, where a small group of rich people is not only hiding their money and avoiding taxes but also evading the law. There are dozens of companies worldwide that specialize in selling shell companies. In the tax havens, you simply cannot set up shell companies yourself and would need a registered agent, who would prepare all the paperwork required by the local authorities and looks after the payment of the annual fee. As mentioned before, most of these companies do not directly interact with the intermediaries. At least, that’s what most of these companies claim but it’s not always the case. Usually, the official address of the shell companies is the same as that of the registered agent. When you have a shell company, you don’t want it in countries like London, New York or Paris. The authorities can easily find out who owns it if they really want to. Instead, you need a tax haven and usually, it’s based out in small countries with a great deal of banking secrecy and very low non-existent taxes on financial transactions. It’s the secrecy that makes them attractive to tax evaders and crooks the world over. Whether the leak has completely vanquished such activities are debatable. It’s just the tip of the iceberg and difficult to predict any downturn in such a secretive world. Using offshore structures is legal though. There are many legitimate reasons for doing so like protecting it from raids by criminals and get around hard currency restrictions. Other use can be for the reason of inheritance and estate planning.
It’s an exhaustive account of the dirty, unsavory, murkier and opaque world of offshore companies. Despite the leaks and countless articles that followed, it’s still a difficult subject to grasp initially. You need to have a fair bit of understanding and about the modus operandi of these companies. Otherwise, it’s extremely difficult to follow. If you had not studied about the leaks in detail before, then the revelation of some names is still going to surprise you. It breaks your trust too in the system. If you have a basic understanding of the subject matter, then you are going to find it well narrated. Kudos to the author. Beyond that, the German journalist Bastian Obermayer with whom the whistle-blower first connected deserves praise for his dexterity and deft handling of the matter. So is, ICIJ for gathering such a large team from different countries for the project, who followed the necessary protocol of secrecy. Any book that has come out on the subject is the result of piggybacking on the team’s work. The subject matter deviates from what you and I usually read. The content is the king, which makes this book highly recommended
October 14, 2018
The Panama Papers, though at times a trying read, serves an essential indictment against the super-wealthy one-percenters that evade tax and channel their extortionate levels of money through offshore shell companies at the detriment to developing and developed nations. Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, I can't see how one could fail to be outraged by the sheer injustice unregulated and excessive capitalism has led our world to. Obermayer and his co-author deliver a highly important account of some of the multitudinous financial villains that plague this world with a non-partisan call for justice and equality in the global dissemination of wealth. The book is half an expose on selected scandals their anonymous source leaked to them (most connected with the Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca), half a recount of their grueling yet inspiring investigation with a vast international network of investigative journalists. Personally I didn't always enjoy this like I would most books I give four stars to, but its importance, unfortunate relevance and need to be remembered earns it a good solid four.
April 30, 2017
Excellent book - but short :) I would like to read more about the real scumbags of this world.
July 10, 2020
A must read book to gain insight on dodgy financial rules and dirty politics.
May 12, 2025
this (I) would benefit from some diagrams because sometimes the block of text describing complex financial structures just isn't it
October 5, 2020
Hooter: A case study on how the rich game the system to keep their money .
One of the largest exposes in history so far, turning wikileaks pale in comparison are the Panama Papers. Authored by the key protagonists of the journalistic expose, this book fcouses on their thoughts as they went through these terabytes of data and tried to make sense of it all. The challenges of working with a global team of ICIJ reporters across the globe , dealing with so much data that they had to get a super computer setup to do simple searches - would be a lovely engineering problem to discuss and solve.
The book also focuses on the various names that cropped up and their backgrounds and connects to people of power across party lines sailing on the same boat. Though after a while you get bored - this creation of passion is an overkill for the regular reader because it gets into a format :
Rich person / Powerful person of Country X creates shell for money earned from Y and gets away scot free by dealing with these Panama based law firm Mossack and Fonseca and Compliance gives a blind eye.
This is a brilliant project that had worldwide implications along with the collaboration, this book tries to capture the breadth of it all and becomes a factual report with sprinkling of the drama that ensued. I am left with a lot more questions after reading the book than answers I had hoped to get.
One of the largest exposes in history so far, turning wikileaks pale in comparison are the Panama Papers. Authored by the key protagonists of the journalistic expose, this book fcouses on their thoughts as they went through these terabytes of data and tried to make sense of it all. The challenges of working with a global team of ICIJ reporters across the globe , dealing with so much data that they had to get a super computer setup to do simple searches - would be a lovely engineering problem to discuss and solve.
The book also focuses on the various names that cropped up and their backgrounds and connects to people of power across party lines sailing on the same boat. Though after a while you get bored - this creation of passion is an overkill for the regular reader because it gets into a format :
Rich person / Powerful person of Country X creates shell for money earned from Y and gets away scot free by dealing with these Panama based law firm Mossack and Fonseca and Compliance gives a blind eye.
This is a brilliant project that had worldwide implications along with the collaboration, this book tries to capture the breadth of it all and becomes a factual report with sprinkling of the drama that ensued. I am left with a lot more questions after reading the book than answers I had hoped to get.
September 13, 2020
The Panama Papers is such an epic piece of investigative journalism thanks only to the data leak of a law firm in Panama that set up shell companies for rich people to keep their assets offshore. The book is all about the different stories of corruption, embezzlement, and tax evasion from the many people found in the millions of documents the journalists had access to. It’s worth reading just to realise how widespread the use of shell companies is with some of the elite. However, the book does start to get pretty repetitive about halfway through.
July 29, 2023
Vooropgesteld dat het onderzoek naar (destijds?) het grootste datalek ooit op zichzelf vijf sterren verdiend, was het boek in mijn opzicht te lang en onnodig complex. Een aantal van de onthulde casussen komen aan bod, maar in grote mate van detail en door elkaar heen en verspreid over verschillende hoofdstukken. Het mechanisme, dat wil zeggen het gebruik van een brievenbusfirma om de ware eigenaar van gelden te verduisteren, is in elk geval vrijwel hetzelfde, waardoor het boek al vrij snel in herhaling valt. Drie van de vijf sterren.
May 10, 2025
3.75, really.
A fascinating and thorough look, in-depth at times and wide-angle at others, at the actions of one law firm on behalf of its many clients -- businesses, government figures, and other people -- all keen to hide their money in tax havens. The journalistic writing is sometimes repetitive in reintroducing people or details. But the stories are well worth putting up with that feature.
A fascinating and thorough look, in-depth at times and wide-angle at others, at the actions of one law firm on behalf of its many clients -- businesses, government figures, and other people -- all keen to hide their money in tax havens. The journalistic writing is sometimes repetitive in reintroducing people or details. But the stories are well worth putting up with that feature.
July 8, 2017
it is one of the most exciting non-fiction book ever read, narrated in a way that we can dive into the journey, and understand each huge data and facts at the same time
June 5, 2018
This is the first hand account of one of the biggest global scandal involving massive corruption, crime and terrorism, that lead a storm around the world, taking down leaders in many countries and it is on-going. A Must read.
January 18, 2021
Informative, humorous at times and to the point. A must read if you‘re a fan of investigative journalism.
February 1, 2021
Great coverage on the reporting of the Panama Papers and its findings although it only just reveals the tip of the ice berg.
May 22, 2017
This is about connecting the dots of the biggest leak in the history of journalism. Multiple accounts of abuse of power and money by the 1%, evasion of taxes, etc., have been uncovered in the secret offshore world.
Read this book.
Read this book.
May 17, 2020
Maybe the wrong book to pick up during Covid, when one would like to believe in human decency and government stability. I was shaking my damn head the entire time at the corruption at the highest levels of basically every country in the world. We are the virus.
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