The White House on Monday declined to comment on specific allegations against several world leaders implicated in a massive anonymous leak of financial documents from a Panamanian law firm, saying only that the U.S. continues to advocate for greater transparency in international financial transactions.
“Obviously, we’ve seen the extensive reporting that has been done on these leaked documents,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters during his daily briefing.
“I don’t have comments about the specific allegations included in the documents, but I can tell you the U.S. continues to be a leading advocate of increased transparency in the international financial system and in fighting corruption,” he continued.
The documents reportedly reveal a sweeping network of offshore “shell” companies — including some tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin — that allow wealthy individuals and companies to hide their assets, in some cases sheltering them from taxes and legal proceedings.
A group of international journalists has combed through documents and say they implicate some 72 current or former heads of state, including Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak, Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi and Syria’s Bashar Assad. They also connect to current and former leaders in countries considered U.S. allies, including Saudi Arabia, Iceland, Georgia, Qatar and Iraq.
More than 370 journalists from 107 news organizations took part in a year-long investigation that began when the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung was leaked 2.6 terabytes of data. Suddeutsche Zeitung then sought assistance from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which published the findings Sunday along with other media partners.
“I think the leak will prove to be probably the biggest blow the offshore world has ever taken because of the extent of the documents,” ICIJ director Gerard Ryle said to the BBC. The files delve through 40 years of the internal workings of the secretive Panamanian law firm.
