Pandora papers: How leaders are responding
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"Is this place for sale?" Aliyev visits London in 2018. Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Barcroft Media via Getty
Here’s a snapshot of some of the leaders implicated in the Pandora Papers — a massive leak of financial documents sifted through by an international consortium of journalists — and how they’re responding.
Russian President Vladimir Putin: A shell company purchased a $4.1 million apartment in Monte Carlo in 2003 for a woman named Svetlana Krivonogikh, who reportedly had an affair (and possibly a daughter) with Putin, per WaPo.
- The latest: Putin’s spokesperson said "we didn't see any hidden wealth of Putin's inner circle" in the reports.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, elected on promises to fight corruption, allegedly did not declare a home in the south of France purchased on his behalf by an offshore investment firm.
- The latest: Babis denied wrongdoing and claimed the reports were an effort by unnamed people to influence the Czech elections.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, his family and close associates were involved in property deals in the U.K. worth at least $540 million, per the reports. He has long faced accusations of looting his country.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II reportedly used offshore entities to buy at least 15 homes (including Malibu mansions) during his reign, together worth over $100 million.
- The latest: His lawyers told the BBC he used his private wealth, and the palace said the holdings were "not unusual nor improper.”
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s family owned at least 11 offshore companies with tens of millions of dollars in assets.
- The latest: Kenyatta said the Pandora Papers would be good for transparency, and said he’d respond fully when he returned from a trip abroad. He had previously demanded that all civil servants account for their wealth.
Allies of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, including the finance minister, also were named in the reports.
- The latest: Khan said he welcomed the reports and that they’d be investigated. He had railed against corrupt elites after a similar leak, the Panama Papers, in 2016.
What to watch: Dozens more current and former world leaders appeared in the documents. This story is far from over.
