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Financial Secrets and Lies

A recent investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists showed the pervasiveness of financial secrecy, which facilitates tax evasion, money laundering, corruption, and crime. Now, the international community – starting with the G-8 countries – must commit to enhancing financial transparency worldwide.

LONDON – In early April, a major exposé of financial secrecy sent shock waves around the world. After devoting more than a year to examining 2.5 million leaked files, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), in partnership with several global news outlets, revealed the names behind more than 120,000 anonymous offshore companies and trusts.

Among the luminaries hiding their identities behind shell companies registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), the Cook Islands, and other offshore jurisdictions were Georgia’s billionaire prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili; the late Gunter Sachs, a well-known German billionaire and one of Brigitte Bardot’s former husbands; Jean-Jacques Augier, the treasurer of French President François Hollande’s election campaign; and Imee Marcos, a Filipino politician and daughter of the country’s former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. A Venezuelan general, international arms dealers, and several Russian corporate executives also made the list.

The ICIJ investigation – which details cash transfers, incorporation dates, and links between companies and well-known individuals – demonstrates the massive scale of the offshore industry. It not only highlights the prevalence of financial secrecy worldwide, but also shows how hidden company ownership facilitates tax evasion, money laundering, corruption, and other crime.

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