Panama Papers: Black money SIT to investigate list

The Special Investigation Team on black money on Monday said it will investigate thoroughly the reported secret list of about 500 prominent Indians including actors, politicians and businessmen who have allegedly stashed money in offshore entities in tax haven Panama.

“Investigations are being carried out. We are going to investigate it (the list) thoroughly,” SIT Chairman Justice (retired) M B Shah said.

Asked if the SIT had any information on these names, he said the panel got it on Monday. “No. We got the information just now,” he said.

The vice chairman of the panel, Justice (retired) Arijit Pasayat, said they have asked agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, IT Department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence to make an assessment of the list and prepare a report in this regard.

“We want to know what is the truth behind these. The SIT did not have these reports. Maybe, the investigative agencies had. So, once they submit a report to us then we can take the required action,” Pasayat said.

The list has been brought by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in collaboration with news publications across the globe including India and pertains to offshore investments made by Indians between a period of 1977 and 2015.

The latest list, after similar ones came in the past like ‘Swiss leaks’ and the HSBC-list related to Indians, claims it has sourced data in connection to millions of documents which show heads of state, criminals and celebrities using “secret hideaways” in tax haven country of Panama.

However, ICIJ adds a disclaimer that there are also “legitimate uses for offshore companies”.

“The Panama papers expose the internal operations of one of the world’s leading firms in incorporation of offshore entities, Panama-headquartered Mossack Fonseca.

The 2.6 terabytes of data that make up the Panama Papers files were obtained by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared with ICIJ and more than 100 media partners...

“ICIJ will release the full list of companies and people linked to them in early May,” the ICIJ said on its web portal as it called the leaks “The Panama Papers”.

Official sources said the Income Tax department has “taken cognisance” of the news reports and are “looking into it” as per the directions of the panel.

“Other agencies in the panel will act as and when the data is shared on the SIT platform,” they said.

They, however, said some of the entities named in the list are already being investigated by ED and IT Department either by way of their disclosures made to them under the law or by way of intelligence inputs received in the past.

The international organisation said it possesses digital records and documents, emails and invoices to authenticate its claims which talk about multiple personalities and entities from across the globe.

The links published on Monday by ICIJ names at least two people with Indian connections whereas the collaborating newspaper, ‘The Indian Express’, named about a dozen individuals and entities in the case.

The setting up of the SIT on black money was notified by the government in 2014 on the direction of the Supreme Court to look into cases of Indians holding illegal assets overseas.