Syerra’s Square: ‘Panama Papers’ reveal swindlers

On April 3, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released 11.5 million tax documents detailing illicit networking between large global players that involved trillions of hidden away, untaxed dollars.

These documents were dubbed the “Panama Papers” because of their connection with a Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca, which was assisting companies in creating offshore accounts and creating secret shell companies; within the documents at least 12 current world leaders are mentioned, and 128 other politicians/public figures are named.

People already named as being connected to them include the president of China, associates of Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian president, and more.

When Georgi Kantchev, one of the editors working on the documents’ release, was asked about the lack of Americans in the documents his response was, “No U.S. individuals in Panama Papers? Just wait for what’s coming next…”

While some parties named by the law firm’s documents may have been taking part in a legal affair, that is only going to be the case a fraction of the time.

One of the first social casualties of this massive leak was the Prime Minister of Iceland David Cameron, who had originally refused to resign from his position, inciting mass protests throughout the streets of Iceland.

He has now resigned of his own volition, rather than being impeached. David Cameron’s father, who died in 2010, was named in the documents and has been suspected of concealing money. When asked by a reporter if there are family assets hidden, David Cameron responded saying it was a private matter.

His response is both infuriating and terribly ironic as he has been a huge proprietor of taking away/depreciating citizens’ rights to privacy in the past. He has even gone so far as to say, “For too long we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens: as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone.”

These documents further solidify, in my mind, that those who are in positions of power are not afraid to abuse it. We shall see, as more names are released, where it is our allegiances lie.