After Panama Papers, new ‘Paradise Papers’ leak reveals secrets of the world elite's hidden wealth
The findings have emerged as part of the Paradise Papers released by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which was behind the 2015 Panama Papers
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has business ties to a shipping firm linked to Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, according to a vast leak of financial documents that also revealed Britain’s Queen Elizabeth’s investments in tax havens.
And it revealed that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s top fundraiser and senior adviser Stephen Bronfman, heir to the Seagram fortune, moved some US$60 million to offshore tax havens with ex-senator Leo Kolber.
The details come from a leak of 13.4 million files that expose the global environments in which tax abuses can thrive – and the complex and seemingly artificial ways the wealthiest corporations can legally protect their wealth.
The findings have emerged as part of the Paradise Papers released by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which was behind the Panama Papers made public last year.
There is no suggestion that Ross, Bronfman or the queen’s private estate acted illegally.
But Ross’s ties to Russian entities raise questions over potential conflicts of interest, and whether they undermine Washington’s sanctions on Moscow.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said the UK’s tax authority wants to see the leaked documents.
