Three Poles appear in Panama Papers leak

Names of former President of Warsaw Paweł Piskorski, media mogul Mariusz Walter and entrepreneur Marek Profus appeared in a huge leak of confidential documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.

 The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, along with 107 media organizations revealed eleven million documents covering a period over almost 40 years, from 1977 until last December, which showed how the company helped its clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade taxes.

In 2012, Paweł Piskorski acquired a Panamanian company - Stardale Management Inc, to "buy bonds of a Singapore company." Three years later the company was dissolved. In the meantime, Piskorski tried to open a bank account in FPB Panama bank, but there is no evidence in the data that bank accounts were actually ever opened.  "If one fulfills all legal standards and is not using it for illegal business, I see nothing wrong in creating a company in such a countries like Panama," Piskorski said, explaining  that "the company was never active."

Marek Profus set up a company in the Bahamas in 1993, but the firm was never active either. He explained that he "has never used tax optimazation schemes." Mariusz Walter appeared in the documents as a shareholder of two companies registered in the British Virgin Islands. "I have always been a Polish tax resident," Walter said.

Twelve national leaders are among 143 politicians, their families and close associates from around the world known to have been using offshore tax havens, including Vladimir Putin - the President of Russia, Nawaz Sharif - Pakistan’s prime minister, Petro Poroshenko - the president of Ukraine, and the prime minister of Iceland - Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson.