Governments moved on Monday to limit the fallout from a release of millions of documents detailing how leaders have used offshore tax havens to stash assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Some 35 current and former leaders are featured in roughly 11.9 million documents leaked from financial services companies across the world. The documents, known as the “Pandora Papers,” were obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not named but he is linked via associates to secret assets in Monaco, particularly a waterfront home acquired by a Russian woman reported to have had a child with him.
“This is just a set of largely unsubstantiated claims,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We didn't see anything on hidden wealth within Mr. Putin's inner circle.”
Jordan was also keen to play down the revelations, which exposed how King Abdullah II created a network of offshore companies and tax havens to amass a $100 million property empire from California to London. The country’s royal court said the properties were funded with the King's personal wealth and were used for official and private visits.
Family and associates of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevare alleged to have been secretly involved in property deals in Britain worth hundreds of millions.
And the documents also show how Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis failed to declare an offshore investment company used to purchase a chateau worth $22 million in the south of France.