The Federal criminal police office is in possession of a large data set of letter-box companies in Panama. The authority should have paid million. The purchase of stolen data is controversial, but it is legally in order.
The Federal criminal police office (BKA) is in the possession of the last year published the so-called “Panama Papers”. This is the BKA, the Hessian Ministry of Finance and the General Prosecutor’s office of Frankfurt am Main stated on Tuesday.
The papers are confidential documents, which had uncovered an international research network in the spring of last year. It has been revealed, such as politicians, sports officials, billionaires, celebrities, and Criminals in the world by the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca based letter box companies to use Panama to evade taxes in their home countries.
In order to allow an electronic evaluation, the BKA the millions of files comprehensive data set currently. The review will likely take several months, it said.
The data were examined, together with the Hessian financial administration “and evaluated, in order to criminal to investigate the legal and tax offences”, – stated in the message of the authorities. To costs and the Detail of the acquisition, no information.
Five Million Euro?
According to information of the “Bild”newspaper, the BKA bought the record. The Wiesbaden-based authority would not comment on demand. From well-informed circles, the news Agency learned AFP that several authorities have divided the costs for the procurement of the documents. The news Agency DPA reported, citing “government circles”, five million euros had been paid to a “source”.
The state purchase of Bank data and so-called tax CDs is controversial. According to a previous judgment of the Federal constitutional court, but the German state is allowed to bought data on tax scammers use, even if this information were illegally obtained.
What is included in the data?
In may 2016, the International consortium of Investigative journalists (ICIJ) had provided much of the data from the Panama Papers for the world to see online, however, without information on Bank accounts, wire Transfers and e-mail communication.
In the fall of 2016, Denmark had announced to want to be a part of the “Panama Papers” to buy.
The focus of the investigators, especially criminal offences from the field of organised crime, such as weapons trade, according to reports. Income from it will not be declared in the rule and fall fraud in the area of tax.
The Federal Ministry of Finance welcomed on request the acquisition of data. Thus, cases of tax evasion could be made by the competent authorities followed up. The Federal Ministry of Finance had contributed least to the acquisition of tax CDs financially.
G20 against tax havens
Shell companies are not illegal per se. Also in the founding of the “Offshore companies” (foreign companies) is not Illegal. For letter-box companies, it can be all sorts, even legal reasons.0
But fraud also for tax and money laundering used, and often in tax havens founded. In order to disguise financial flows, money will be transferred to different accounts in various countries to the offshore company.
Since the unveiling of the “the Panama Papers,” have strengthened the leading industrial and emerging countries (G20) in their efforts to put tax havens dry. Also in Germany, the requirements were significantly tightened up and more transparency will be created.
bea/uh (reuters, dpa, afp, ICIJ)