The “John Doe” behind the Panama Papers leak has offered to work with governments and law enforcement to root out corruption, noting that the papers illustrate a wide range of crimes being carried out by the ultra-wealthy, unchecked.
The source also praised Edward Snowden as a “hero” for his revelations about the NSA. “He deserves a hero’s welcome and a substantial prize, not banishment,” the source said.
Giving a sweeping view of how the richest 1% in the world use tax havens (amongst other things), 11.5 million documents were leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca last month, pertaining to offshore accounts linked to over 12 current and former heads of state. The documents reveal a raft of graft, corruption and money laundering, all aimed at hiding money from government coffers.
In a statement issued to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the source of the leak explained the motivation for the leak. He or she noted that “income inequality is one of the defining issues of our time,” and blamed “massive, pervasive corruption” for the ever-widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. But beyond the scandal of just how many world leaders and famous wealthy people avoid paying taxes, the source also called out the law firm as having carried out a raft of deliberate crimes—and wants to see the principals prosecuted.
“The law firm, its founders, and employees actually did knowingly violate myriad laws worldwide, repeatedly,” the source said. “At the very least we already know that Mossack personally perjured himself before a federal court in Nevada, and we also know that his information technology staff attempted to cover up the underlying lies. They should all be prosecuted accordingly with no special treatment.”
The law firm’s shell companies, meant to be tax haven vehicles, are actually used for a wide variety of criminal activity, the source added.
“I decided to expose Mossack Fonseca because I thought its founders, employees and clients should have to answer for their roles in these crimes, only some of which have come to light thus far,” the source said. “It will take years, possibly decades, for the full extent of the firm’s sordid acts to become known.”
The source, noting that capitalism has become “tantamount to economic slavery,” said that thousands of prosecutions could stem from the Panama Papers, and that even though the media organizations that have the papers won’t release the documents to law enforcement, he or she would be willing to work with agencies directly “I, however, would be willing to cooperate with law enforcement to the extent that I am able.”
Understandably, the source is concerned about being prosecuted as a spy, and added that he or she did not have inside access as a contractor or employee—intimating that the leak came as a result of an outside hack.
“I have watched as one after another, whistleblowers and activists in the United States and Europe have had their lives destroyed by the circumstances they find themselves in after shining a light on obvious wrongdoing. Edward Snowden is stranded in Moscow, exiled due to the Obama administration’s decision to prosecute him under the Espionage Act.”
The letter goes on, pointing out what the source said is a systemic ethical failure by the legal profession, governments and the media to protect the rights of citizens.
He or she added, “Legitimate whistleblowers who expose unquestionable wrongdoing, whether insiders or outsiders, deserve immunity from government retribution, full stop. Until governments codify legal protections for whistleblowers into law, enforcement agencies will simply have to depend on their own resources or on-going global media coverage for documents.”
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