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Mossack Fonseca worker arrested in Switzerland Mossack Fonseca worker arrested in Switzerland
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An information technology worker at the Geneva offices of Mossack Fonseca, the offshore law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers scandal, is behind bars after being arrested on the order of Swiss magistrates. An information technology worker at the Geneva offices of Mossack Fonseca, the offshore law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers scandal, is behind bars after being arrested in the hunt for the whistleblower behind the biggest ever leak to journalists.
“A procedure has been opened by the public ministry of Geneva following a complaint made by Mossack Fonseca”, a spokeswoman for the city prosecutor confirmed on Wednesday afternoon. She said further information would follow in due course. Early last year, an individual using the alias John Doe approached the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung offering data from the internal files of Mossack Fonseca. The leak led to the resignation of the Icelandic prime minister and sparked international protests about the use of tax havens by financial and political elites.
The employee was placed under provisional detention several days ago, the Swiss newspaper Le Temps is reporting, under suspicion of having “extracted a very large volume of confidential information” from the law firm, during “a recent period”, according to a source. “A procedure has been opened by the public ministry of Geneva following a complaint made by Mossack Fonseca,” a spokeswoman for the city prosecutor confirmed on Wednesday afternoon. She said further information would follow in due course.
Uncertainty surrounds the reasons for the arrest. Süddeutsche Zeitung believes that the person arrested is not the newspaper’s source. Bastian Obermayer, who jointly led the investigation at the German paper, told the Guardian: “According to our information this is not John Doe”.
The source has not revealed their identity but has offered to cooperate with law enforcement.
Swiss newspaper Le Temps is reporting is reporting that the arrested employee was placed under provisional detention several days ago, under suspicion of having “extracted a very large volume of confidential information” from the law firm, during “a recent period”, according to a source.
A search is understood to have been conducted at the Mossack Fonseca Geneva office and IT equipment has been seized.A search is understood to have been conducted at the Mossack Fonseca Geneva office and IT equipment has been seized.
The arrested employee is reportedly denying the charges against them, which are said to include “extraction of data”, “unauthorised access to an IT system” and “breach of trust”. The employee is reportedly denying the charges against them, which are said to include “extraction of data”, “unauthorised access to an IT system” and “breach of trust”.
Mossack Fonseca did not respond to requests for comment.
The case is being overseen by magistrate Claudio Mascotto, who has already intervened over the Panama Papers. In April he oversaw a swoop on the Geneva Freeport, during which an £18m Modigliani painting allegedly looted by the Nazis was seized. The identity of the true owners of Seated Man with a Cane, currently the subject of a legal battle, was revealed by the Mossack Fonseca leak.The case is being overseen by magistrate Claudio Mascotto, who has already intervened over the Panama Papers. In April he oversaw a swoop on the Geneva Freeport, during which an £18m Modigliani painting allegedly looted by the Nazis was seized. The identity of the true owners of Seated Man with a Cane, currently the subject of a legal battle, was revealed by the Mossack Fonseca leak.
Early last year, an individual using the alias John Doe approached the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung offering data from the internal files of Mossack Fonseca. Published on 3 April 2016, the Panama Papers revealed the tax haven screen companies used by 12 heads of state, more than 100 politicians and their relatives, political donors, companies put under sanction by the US and Europe, convicted criminals, and drugs and arms dealers.
The whistleblower has not revealed their identity but has offered to cooperate with law enforcement. More than half of the 214,000 companies whose details were leaked in the cache of 11.5m documents were incorporated in the British Virgin Islands.
Published on 3 April 2016, the Panama Papers revealed the tax haven screen companies used by 12 heads of state, more than 100 politicians and their relatives, political donors, companies put under sanction by the United States and Europe, convicted criminals, and drugs and arms dealers.
Over half of the 214,000 companies whose details were leaked in the cache of 11.5m documents were incorporated in the British Virgin Islands.
The data was passed to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Washington and shared with media organisations around the world including the Guardian and the BBC.The data was passed to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Washington and shared with media organisations around the world including the Guardian and the BBC.