Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at an event at the Ukraina National Palace of Arts in Kyiv. Photo: Pavlo Bagmut/Ukrinform/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
The Ukrainian president may have pledged to reform the country's corrupt system of politics, but the Pandora Papers tell a different story.
Driving the news: Ukraine is the country with the highest number of politicians named in the leak of offshore data, which implicates hundreds of people linked to offshore companies — including President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- Though offshore companies are not themselves illegal, they often help facilitate tax evasion or money laundering, writes the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the network of reporters and media organizations that obtained the records.
Context: Zelensky had campaigned on cleaning up Ukraine's oligarch-dominated system. He'd pushed to set himself apart from politicians like incumbent Petro Poroshenko, who hid offshore assets, the Guardian notes.
- But the Pandora Papers revealed that Zelensky was involved with a network of offshore companies, which he co-owned with friends and business partners.
Our thought bubble, via Axios' Dave Lawler: Zelensky is one of several politicians who campaigned on anti-corruption platforms — others include Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan — who will now be facing questions over undisclosed wealth tied to them or their close associates.
By the numbers: Ukraine leads with 38 politicians named in the Pandora Papers. The top five are ...
- Ukraine: 38
- Russia: 19
- Honduras: 11
- United Arab Emirates: 11
- Nigeria: 10