South Africa has over 56,000 links involved with Pandora Papers, Kenya’s President – SAPeople

The explosive Pandora Papers, which rocked the world in the past 24 hours, contained a whopping 56,493 connections to South Africa last night, according to an exclusive reveal on Carte Blanche.

African leaders are featured in Pandora Papers

In total, nearly 50 African politicians and officials from 18 countries across the continent have been found to have offshore units in the Pandora Papers, including current and past leaders from five African countries … although none of the key players named are based in South Africa.

Two of the biggest political names exposed in Africa come from neighboring countries – Zimbabwe Presidential Advisor Martin Rushwaya, and Former Prime Minister of Mozambique Aires Ali. Both apparently founded offshore shell companies in the Seychelles.

Rushwaya, who happens to be the cousin of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, allegedly founded his in 2010 when he was Zimbabwe’s Defense Minister. He was supported by a Moscow law firm and had a Russian partner. In 2012, the offshore company that founded Rushwaya’s letterbox company reported this to the Seychelles Financial Intelligence Unit after seeing media reports identifying Rushwaya as the director of a diamond mining company that was allegedly “hiding the involvement of security forces” and was involved in off-budget financing.

Meanwhile, documents leaked through Pandora show that former Mozambican Prime Minister Ali – who has been flagged as a possible presidential candidate – worked with two companies to hide his connection with Stonelake Enterprises in the Seychelles. Less than a month before his dismissal as Prime Minister in 2012, he founded the letterbox company through a Swiss tax consultancy.

However, the main African leader making global headlines today is the current one President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyattawho is known to have spoken out against offshore companies and told the BBC that “the assets of every public servant must be publicly declared”.

According to leaked papers, Kenyatta and his mother are beneficiaries of a secret foundation in Panama. His other relatives – including two sisters and a brother – are believed to own five offshore companies with assets in excess of $ 30 million. The Pandora Papers apparently show that Kenyatta’s family has secretly amassed a private fortune behind offshore companies for years by using Swiss advisors, whom they refer to as “Client 13173”.

Pandora Papers – Key Facts

• The Pandora Papers reveal offshore oases and hidden riches from world leaders, rock stars, supermodels, 130 billionaires to refugees, scammers and even murderers.
• What is exposed is the offshore firms and the “shadow economy” that only the rich and connected benefit from … at the expense of everyone else.
• The Pandora Papers are a larger synopsis than ICIJ’s groundbreaking Panama Papers from 2016.
• It is the largest journalistic partnership in history led by the ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) with the participation of 600 international journalists from 150 news agencies including The Washington Post, BBC, Radio France and Zimbabwe’s The Standard.
• The information comes from 14 international offshore service providers who set up mailbox companies for customers who want to keep their finances secret (and not pay taxes).
• The Pandora Papers contain more than 11.9 million confidential files (documents, photos, etc.); including 2.94 terabytes of confidential information
• Journalists spent two years sifting through the leaked files, investigating and tracing sources and court files.
• Financial secrets of 35 current and former world leaders, more than 330 politicians and officials in 91 countries and territories, and a global list of refugees, fraudsters and murderers were exposed. Political names include the King of Jordan, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Russian Associate President Vladimir Putin (including his alleged girlfriend and mother of his child, a former cleaner who appears to have an apartment in Monaco with millions bought an offshore account.)
• It is many of those involved who could put an end to the offshore system, but since it benefits them, they are not …
• While the Czech Prime Minister is rebelling against corruption by the elite, he is said to have bought a 22 million castle on the Côte d’Azur himself – through an offshore company – with a cinema and two swimming pools.
• Even the United States has served as a tax haven for some criminals.
• Since the revelations were released last night, Pakistan’s Prime Minister and former cricketer Imran Khan has said his government will investigate the names in the Pandora Papers (which some of his cabinet members named).
• The secret documents identified 956 companies in offshore ports associated with 336 high-ranking politicians, ambassadors and others. More than two thirds of the companies were founded in the British Virgin Islands.
• At least $ 11.3 trillion appears to be held offshore.
• Well-known names are supermodel Claudia Schiffer, pop star Shakira, who played at the opening concert of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and a gangster who has been linked to at least 12 murders. (The first three attorneys have said that their businesses are legitimate, have been declared, and that they pay taxes. Offshore businesses are not necessarily illegal and convenient for those who work internationally. It’s the hiding and moving of money to protect from Assets before tax authorities, creditors, ex-spouses and illegal law enforcement agencies.)
• Says the ICIJ, “Some of the key players in the system include elite institutions – multinational banks, law firms and accounting firms – headquartered in the US and Europe. A document in the Pandora Papers shows that banks around the world have helped their clients set up at least 3,926 offshore companies … “
• The new document leak reveals the real owners of more than 29,000 offshore companies. The owners come from more than 200 countries and territories, with the largest contingents coming from Russia, Great Britain, Argentina and China.
• King Abdullah II who ‘.) His lawyers say he does not have to pay taxes under Jordanian law.

To learn more about the Pandora Papers, visit the ICIJ website.

DO NOT MISS THE CARD BLANCHE WHEN YOU ARE ABROAD (in most countries) with its exclusive unveiling on the Pandora papers. Streaming from Tue, Oct. 5 Showmax International – LOOK HERE!

EXCLUSIVE! We join @icijorg explore the secret #PandoraPapers and expose some of those behind offshore accounts that are inundated with trillions of dollars of dirty money. associate # Blank power of attorney 7 p.m. for the #PandoraPapers. # MNet101 pic.twitter.com/npOdtTAzO7

– Carte Blanche (@carteblanchetv) October 3, 2021

A financial document leak, more than 11.9 million records, allegedly binds world leaders to secret stores of wealth, including King Abdullah of Jordan, Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis and staff members of Russian President Vladimir Putin https: // t. co / P9O1Ild8oc pic.twitter.com/DuXKQBxS8Q

– Reuters (@Reuters) October 4, 2021

WATCH Pandora Papers: An unprecedented leak reveals the inner workings of an underground economy

Switzerland has been a center of financial secrecy since the 1930s. the #PandoraPapers show how companies like Fidinam exploit loopholes in the country’s regulatory system to help the rich and powerful set up clandestine businesses in tax havens. https://t.co/ykqMlwwpQE pic.twitter.com/Xb66Rp7LhG

– ICIJ (@ICIJorg) October 3, 2021