Pandora Papers

By: Logan Antio

Editor: Grace Pilkay

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Millions of documents have been discovered by the ICIJ, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, exposing the financial secrets of world leaders, politicians, religious leaders, celebrities, billionaires, and drug dealers. These people have been hiding investments in mansions, yachts, large properties, and other assets for the past 25 years.

These documents uncovered information about 35 current and former leaders, around 330 politicians and public officials in 91 different countries and territories, and even some con artists, fugitives, and murderers. The documents have remained secret containing information about offshore dealings of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, presidents of Ukraine, Ecuador, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and associates of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan. The files also show information about the financial activities of Russian President Vladamir Putin. Information about 130+ billionaires from the United States, Russia, and other countries has also been exposed.

This data leak is labeled as “Pandora Papers.” Containing 2.94 terabytes of data, Pandora Papers is the biggest offshore data leak that comes from many offshore providers, ranging from Vietnam to Belize and Singapore, all the way to the Bahamas and Seychelles. South Dakota has also held around $367 billion in assets, making it the U.S state with the most trusts in the United States, most of the trusts linked to many individuals outside of the United States. Other celebrities including Shakira, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Julio Inglesias, Mark Zuckerberg, and Michael Bloomberg, have also been disclosed in the documents.