Thousands more names and companies revealed from Paradise Papers

Journalist group publishes identities of directors, shareholders and others behind offshore accounts

By Zach Dubinsky, CBC News

The public will get a glimpse at the tens of thousands of names — including those of more than 3,000 Canadians and Canadian companies — in the Paradise Papers starting today.

Key information from the huge leak of tax-haven financial records, including the names of offshore companies and the people behind them, is being made public by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the Washington-based group that co-ordinated global reporting on the documents.

“We think this is the kind of basic information that should be made available to people around the world,” the ICIJ’s director, Gerard Ryle, told CBC News. “And we think it’s the kind of information that governments should be releasing, or forcing some sort of public directory. So if they’re not going to do it, then it is up to journalists to do it.”

The hope is that public scrutiny of the material will turn up tips about possible tax shenanigans or corruption and shed more light on the often murky world of offshore finance. While 380-plus journalists have been delving into the Paradise Papers for months, the leak contains 13.4 million records — a dauntingly large number that made it impossible to examine every file.

CBC/Radio-Canada and the Toronto Star had exclusive Canadian access to the data and determined that it names at least 3,100 Canadians, Canadian companies and other entities like trusts or foundations tied to Canada. Media outlets worldwide first began reporting on the leak last week.

The list includes a who’s who of the world’s elite, including the Queen, U.S. President Donald Trump’s commerce secretary and, here in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s chief fundraiser, Stephen Bronfman.

full story at http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/paradise-papers-icij-database-public-search-1.4403479