What are the Panama Papers?

Revealed: the $2bn offshore trail that leads to Vladimir Putin

A network of secret offshore deals and vast loans worth $2bn has laid a trail to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.

The Putin circle’s use of offshore companies contrasts with the
president’s call for "deoffshoreisation”, urging Russians to bring cash
hidden abroad home. Others who make use of offshore companies include
oil trader Gennady Timchenko, Putin’s friend of 30 years. The US imposed
sanctions on him in 2014. Others in the data are Arkady and Boris
Rotenberg, Putin’s childhood friends and former judo partners. They are
now billionaire construction tycoons. The Arsenal FC shareholder Alisher
Usmanov also appears. He has at least six companies registered in the
Isle of Man. There is no suggestion this is illegal.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s official spokesman, declined to comment on
specific allegations against the president. Speaking last week, Peskov
said western spy agencies were behind an all-out "information attack”
against him to destabilise Russia before elections. Peskov dismissed the
investigation by the Guardian and others as an "undisguised, paid-for
hack job”. He said Russia had "legal means” to defend Putin’s dignity
and honour.

RCB Cyprus said it could not disclose information about its clients.
It said that in October 2013 it had "refined its strategy”. It had
opened a branch in Luxembourg, received a new investor, and was now
under direct European Central Bank supervision. Given this, it was
"utterly unfounded” to suggest the bank was a "pocket” for top Russian
officials. The bank said it had voluntarily submitted the allegations to
Cyprus’s money-laundering authority. The auditor PwC Cyprus said it had
audited RCB’s accounts but that it did not provide services to
Sandalwood.

Lawyers for Kovalchuk said information about Bank Rossiya was
publicly available. "We do not understand why you address these
questions to Mr Kovalchuk.”

US political scientist Karen Dawisha said it was inconceivable that
Putin’s friends had become rich without his patronage. "He takes what he
wants. When you are president of Russia, you don’t need a written
contract. You are the law.”

Panama Papers reporting team: Juliette Garside, Luke Harding,
Holly Watt, David Pegg, Helena Bengtsson, Simon Bowers, Owen Gibson and
Nick Hopkins

کد خبرنگار: ۱
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