An international press investigation released last Sunday reported that several athletes, including Pep Guardiola, Angel de Mara and other footballers, hid assets in offshore companies, including for tax evasion purposes.
The investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) into the so-called “Pandora Papers” – which involved about 600 journalists from dozens of outlets, including the Washington Post and the Guardian – is based on the leak of about 11.9 million documents from 14 financial services companies around the world.
According to these documents, King Abdul II of Jordan, for example, established at least thirty offshore companies in countries or territories with tax facilities, from which he purchased 14 luxury properties in the United States and the United Kingdom, for more than $106 million.
In the same way, the Ecuadorean President, Guillermo Laso, deposited the money in two trust funds based in South Dakota, United States. But the investigation also reached into the fields of sports and many of those involved appeared.
Footballers who are tax havens
Among the characters featured in the exhibition, Pep Guardiola, coach of Manchester City. Player and coach of PSG, Angel de Mara and Mauricio Pochettino; And former Argentine and Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano.
In most countries, these facts cannot be prosecuted. But in the case of leaders, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists compares the anti-corruption rhetoric of some of them to their investments in tax havens.
Mexico investigation more involved
The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has launched an investigation into Mexican figures named in the global investigation The Pandora Papers, which consist of nearly 12 million leaked documents in which the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed the financial secrets of 35 former presidents and heads of state, and more. of 330 public servants in more than 90 countries, as well as a wide range of celebrities, athletes and entrepreneurs.
Among the more than 3,000 Mexicans identified, the names of several businessmen stand out.
The President of Mexico said: “You have to conduct an investigation, you have to see who is compatible with him. You must do, of course, the tax question. See if the taxes were paid, and when these operations were carried out,” Andres Manuel Lépez Obrador, during his conference The usual morning reporter.
With information from AFP and AP
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AJ
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