Piñera, Lasso and others respond to Pandora's roles 3:53
(CNN) -
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published the Pandora Papers on Sunday, an investigation that exposes the financial secrets and tax haven deals of hundreds of politicians and officials from more than 90 countries and territories.
Having accounts in banks or offshore or "offshore" companies is not necessarily illegal.
But this research reveals how financial secrecy, while often legal, is used by some politicians, millionaires and artists to protect their property and wealth from public scrutiny and sometimes from tax liability.
These are the answers of some of those indicated.
Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile
According to the ICIJ, the Chilean president founded two companies registered in the British Virgin Islands in 1997 and 2000 and used a shell company to sell the shares of a mining company to a friend's company in that territory. The Chilean Presidency said in a statement that the sale of that mining company had already been investigated and the country's Prosecutor's Office decided to terminate the investigation due to the non-existence of the crime. Neither Piñera nor his family now have companies registered abroad for "more than 12 years." Piñera said that before assuming his first presidency he separated himself from managing any company of his family or any other company.
The opposition benches in Chile agreed on Tuesday to present a constitutional accusation against President Sebastián Piñera, after a sale agreement was revealed by Minera Dominga in the British Virgin Islands, where the president's family sold their part of the project to another Chilean businessman .
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The documents explain that one of the clauses of the payment to the Piñera was that the Chilean government did not declare a nature reserve in the area where the Dominga Mine would be established.
The opposition deputy and head of the socialist caucus, Jaime Naranjo, explained that the reasons and grounds for the accusation will be based on the fact that the president would have violated the laws “for having infringed the principle of probity and for seriously compromising the honor of the homeland. ”, After the investigation that revealed an operation for US $ 152 million in 2010 and in which the Chilean president is mentioned.
In Chile, a constitutional indictment is a mechanism of Congress that seeks to clarify political responsibilities in high public positions for any infraction of the constitution.
After a political trial, the accused could be removed from office or disqualified from office.
The Minister Secretary General of the Presidency, Juan José Ossa, criticized the announcement of the opposition bench and affirmed that "what the deputies are looking for is a political point a few weeks before the parliamentary and presidential elections" of November 21.
Guillermo Lasso, President of Ecuador
The investigation says it has ties to up to 10 offshore companies in Panama and the US states of South Dakota and Delaware.
"I comply with the provisions of the law, all my income has been declared and I have paid the corresponding taxes in Ecuador," Lasso wrote on Twitter about the investigation, defending its "transparency" and "frontality."
What Piñera, Lasso and other leaders have responded to his mention in the Pandora papers
Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic
The Dominican president appears as one of those named in the so-called Pandora papers and they indicate that he would be linked to companies in Panama created to represent their assets in the Dominican Republic.
However, the documents do not specify the values of these portfolios.
The presidency of the Dominican Republic issued a statement in which it assures that Luis Abinader has been transparent with his finances and that the companies in question were published in his affidavit of assets.
"President Abinader and his family used offshore companies (with tax advantages) to manage investments and local assets that meet their tax obligations in the country."
The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, appears in the Pandora papers
King Abdullah II of Jordan
King Abdullah II of Jordan purchased 14 homes worth more than $ 106 million in the United Kingdom and the United States through shell companies registered in tax havens, according to the ICIJ.
Properties include apartments in central London and Washington, DC, according to the group.
The Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan said in a statement that the report "included inaccuracies and distorted and exaggerated the facts. It is no secret that His Majesty owns several apartments and residences in the United States and the United Kingdom. This is not unusual or improper." the court said in its statement.
These are 5 conclusions that emerge from Pandora's papers
The US government will use the public information to investigate possible illicit financial activity, a State Department official said when asked about reports revealed in the Pandora Papers that the King of Jordan has used shell companies to buy. multiple luxurious homes in it over the years.
Jordan, one of the largest recipients of American aid, receives hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked Monday whether the US will now reevaluate aid to this long-time ally or investigate how that assistance has been used.
Price first responded by saying that US officials would not comment on specific findings of Pandora papers, but that the Biden administration is reviewing them.
"It is important to note more generally that the US government is actively focused on strengthening financial transparency and investigating potential illegal and sanction-evasion activities using all sources of information, both public and private," Price said.
Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie Blair, avoided paying £ 312,000 (US $ 423,000) in stamp duty - a tax on property purchases - when they bought a townhouse in London, reported the BBC.
The building now houses the law firm of Cherie Blair.
The Blairs created a British company to buy the firm with tax advantages.
Doing so was legal, but allowed them to avoid paying the documented legal acts tax, according to the BBC.
This tax is not charged when a company that owns a property is acquired.
"It is not unusual for a commercial office building to be kept in a corporate vehicle or that the sellers of such property do not want to dispose of it separately," Cherie Blair told the BBC.
Blair also said her husband's only involvement in the transaction was that the mortgage on the property used their joint income and equity, according to the BBC.
Cherie Blair also said her husband's only involvement in the transaction was that the mortgage on the property used their joint income and equity, according to the BBC.
"All arrangements were made with the express purpose of bringing the company and building back to UK tax and regulatory status, where it has remained ever since. All taxes have been paid since then and all accounts have been openly filed as according to the law, "Cherie Blair said, according to The Guardian.
Andrej Babis, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
The ICIJ report claims that the populist prime minister of the Czech Republic secretly moved US $ 22 million through companies in tax havens to buy an estate on the French Riviera in 2009, before entering politics.
Babis, a businessman with a wealth of $ 3.4 billion, according to Bloomberg, has lashed out at the elite since he became prime minister in 2017, vowing to take action against tax evasion.
Assets declaration forms obtained by Investigace.cz, a Czech partner of ICIJ, show that neither the castle property nor the companies involved in its ownership appear in the documents that Babis has produced since he entered politics.
According to the ICIJ and Investigace.cz, Czech law requires this data to be disclosed.
The ICIJ report was made public a few days before the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic.
Babis responded this Sunday on Twitter.
"So it's here. I was waiting for what they will come up with just before the elections to harm me and influence the Czech elections. There is no case that they can bring against me during my time in politics," he said.
"I have never done anything illegal or wrong, but that does not stop them from trying to slander me again and trying to influence the Czech parliamentary elections," Babis added.
Babis did not respond to ICIJ requests for comment.
These are 5 conclusions that emerge from Pandora's papers
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya
According to the ICIJ, the family of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has accumulated a fortune in tax havens for decades.
Pandora's papers show that the family owned at least seven entities based in the British Virgin Islands and Panama, two known tax havens, according to the ICIJ.
Offshore companies have assets worth more than US $ 30 million, the ICIJ reported.
Kenyatta, who has vowed to fight corruption in his country, is the son of Kenya's first president after independence.
Most of the family businesses were created before Kenyatta was elected president, the ICIJ reported, and documents show that some remained active after he took office.
Pandora's papers show no evidence that the Kenyatta family stole or concealed state assets in their offshore companies, the BBC reported.
Kenyatta and his family members did not respond to ICIJ requests for comment.
Kenyatta told CNN that she will "respond comprehensively" to Pandora's papers once she returns from a trip abroad.
"These reports will go a long way towards improving the financial transparency and openness that we need in Kenya and around the world. The movement of illicit funds, proceeds of crime and corruption thrive in an environment of secrecy and obscurity," he said, according to a spokesperson.
"The Pandora papers and subsequent follow-up audits will lift that veil of secrecy and obscurity for those who cannot explain their assets or wealth," he added.
Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Panama Papers ended the term of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Former cricket star Imran Khan organized protests against Sharif and was elected prime minister in 2018 on a platform of fairness and anti-corruption.
According to The Washington Post, Pandora's papers do not reveal any foreign accounts of Khan, but they do include people in his inner circle, from one of his ministers to a major donor who has funded his party, according to the ICIJ.
Khan responded to the investigation on Sunday via Twitter.
"My [government] will investigate all our citizens mentioned in the Pandora papers [and] if any irregularity is established we will take the appropriate measures. I call on the international community to treat this grave injustice in a similar way to the crisis of change. climate, "Khan tweeted.
