All these leaks had an explicitly political character, labeled as a noble struggle against the evil of offshore companies. Yet the struggle is very selective. It’s no secret that U.S. multinationals such as Apple, Google, Starbucks etc. are the biggest tax evaders, using offshore schemes. However, Offshore Leaks were focused on firms and persons from the ex-USSR and China. Apart from negative publicity for some minor political figures, that did not seriously hurt anybody of the mentioned persons. Maybe they were preparing the ground for new revelations.
LuxLeaks implicated Jean-Claude Juncker, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and just elected President of the European Commission. One may wonder, why a person with a tarnished reputation would become the head of an important European entity. Taking into account Luxleaks’ perfect timing (not before, but after the elections), the answer is obvious. A compromised top international official would be more docile, particularly, in difficult talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Probably only Swiss Leaks, which were aimed at cracking down on HSBC were commercially motivated.
While running a big cover picture with Putin and Assad, Süddeutsche Zeitung did not give names. The Guardian goes further, pointing the finger at Putin. The on-line version has a video «How to Hide a Billion Dollars» with Putin on the cover.
The Guardian writes: «Twelve national leaders are among 143 politicians, their families and close associates from around the world known to have been using offshore tax havens. A 2 billion dollar trail leads all the way to Vladimir Putin. The Russian president’s best friend – a cellist called Sergei Roldugin – is at the centre of a scheme in which money from Russian state banks is hidden offshore. Some of it ends up in a ski resort where in 2013 Putin’s daughter Katerina got married»98.
Among other leaders with offshore wealth are Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister; Ayad Allawi, ex-interim prime minister and former vice-president of Iraq; Petro Poroshenko, president of Ukraine; Alaa Mubarak, son of Egypt’s former president; and the prime minister of Iceland, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson.
Six members of the House of Lords, three former Conservative MPs and dozens of donors to UK political parties own offshore assets. Families of at least eight current and former members of China’s supreme ruling body, the politburo, have hidden wealth offshore».
Lately, the mass media have claimed the dubious privilege of bringing a verdict without presenting evidence. Neither the Süddeutsche Zeitung nor The Guardian bothered to publish the alleged documents pointing to Putin or Assad. I am pretty sure there aren’t any, since the main feature of offshore jurisdictions is their secrecy and lack of transparency. Can you imagine a person like Putin or Assad providing their passport data and other personal information?!
Knowing this weak point, The Guardian fingers a certain Putin «friend» Sergei Roldugin, or rather his brother. Following this fuzzy logic, every citizen of St. Petersburg is Putin’s best friend, starting from Peter the Great.
The timing of the leaks is perfect: Western leaders cannot afford to applaud the Russian-Syrian victory in Palmyra, so they decided to put a spoon of tar in a barrel of honey, as the Russian proverb says.
