Panama police raid offices of Mossack Fonseca data breach law firm

Police in Panama have raided the headquarters of Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the centre of the massive data leak that send shockwaves through the rich and famous across the world. The attorney general’s office confirmed late on Tuesday the raid was to search for any evidence of illegal activities. The Panama-based law firm is at the centre of the “Panama Papers” leaks scandal that has embarrassed several world leaders and shone a spotlight on the shadowy world of offshore companies. The national police, in an earlier statement, said they were searching for documentation that “would establish the possible use of the firm for illicit activities”.

…to obtain documentation linked to the information published in news articles that establish the use of the firm in illicit activities.

Police statement

Earlier, founding partner Ramon Fonseca said the company had broken no laws, destroyed no documents, and all its operations were legal. Governments across the world have begun investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful after the leak of more than 11.5 million documents, dubbed the Panama Papers, from the law firm that span four decades. The papers have revealed financial arrangements of prominent figures, including friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin, relatives of the prime ministers of Britain and Pakistan and of China’s President Xi Jinping, and the president of Ukraine.

Panama raid