Panama Papers trial starts, 27 people charged in worldwide money-laundering case

Those on trial in Panama include the owners of the Mossack-Fonseca law firm that was at the heart of the 2016 massive document leak

Panama Papers include a collection of 11 million secret financial documents that detail how some of the world’s richest people hide their money

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Jurgen Rolf Dieter Mossack, co-founder of former law firm Mossack Fonseca, arrives at the Panamanian Supreme Court of Justice in Panama City, Panama on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:50am, 9 Apr 2024

The trial of 27 people charged in connection with the worldwide Panama Papers money laundering started on Monday in a Panamanian criminal court.

Those on trial include the owners of the Mossack-Fonseca law firm that was at the heart of the 2016 massive document leak.

The Panama Papers include a collection of 11 million secret financial documents that illustrate how some of the world’s richest people hide their money.

The repercussions of the leaks have been far-ranging, prompting the resignation of the prime minister of Iceland and bringing scrutiny to the leaders of Argentina and Ukraine, Chinese politicians and Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others.

The often-delayed trial opened on Monday, with lawyers Juergen Mossack, Ramón Fonseca and other former employees of the firm facing money-laundering charges.

Mossack was present in the courtroom; lawyers for Fonseca said he was in a hospital in Panama.

The case centres on allegations the firm set up shell companies to acquire properties in Panama with money from a sprawling corruption scheme in Brazil known as the Car Wash, or Lava Jato in Portuguese.

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