Panama Papers whistleblower speaks out: ‘Politicians must act – now’

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22.07.2022 - 12:17

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theguardian.com:

The anonymous whistleblower who leaked the Panama Papers has stepped forward to speak about their life in hiding, saying they believe the German government violated an agreement to provide adequate protection for them and their family.

Known only as John Doe, the whistleblower has never disclosed their identity or their gender. In a wide-ranging interview published in the German magazine Der Spiegel, the whistleblower said they feared a revenge attack and may never feel safe enough to reveal their name. “I may have to wait until I’m on my deathbed,” they said.

The Panama Papers, published on 3 April 2016, was a landmark investigation into the previously hidden world of tax havens. It involved 400 journalists from news outlets around the world including the Guardian, coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Washington. It led to the resignations of prime ministers in Iceland and Pakistan, exposed a giant slush fund linked to Vladimir Putin, and went on to win a Pulitzer prize.

The data comprised 11.5m files from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, whose work with accountants, banks and other lawyers enabled trillions in dark money to wash unimpeded through the global financial system.

“Making the decision to compile the data available to me at Mossack Fonseca took days and felt like looking down the barrel of a loaded gun, but ultimately I had to do it,” the whistleblower said.

In their first public comments since 2016, they said they had come forward because of concerns about the extent to which the offshore system continues to operate unchecked, at a time when the world is “careening closer to catastrophe”.

The interview was conducted by Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer, the