On Sunday, an unprecedented leak of financial records known as the “Pandora Papers” has revealed the offshore financial assets of dozens of current and former world leaders. On Monday, the government said that the investigation would take place to inquire about the secret stores of wealth.
The papers would be monitored by a multi-agency group headed by the chief of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), and representatives from the Enforcement Directorate, Reserve Bank of India and the Financial Intelligence Unit.
Also Read: Pandora Papers Leak: ‘Financial Status’ of prominent celebs revealed
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which involved the BBC and The Guardian newspaper in the UK and ‘The Indian Express’ in India among 150 media outlets in its investigation, claims it obtained the trove of more than 11.9 million confidential files to find secret financial dealings of many super-rich.
Sachin Tendulkar, Nirav Modi, Anil Ambani, King of Jordan, former British President Tony Blair, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan’s political elites are some of the names mentioned in the Pandora Papers. According to the reports, the financial status of around 380 Indians has been revealed and sixty of these prominent individuals and companies have been verified and have had their documents corroborated.
Also Read: Pandora Papers: Anil Ambani, Putin, Tendulkar, financial dealings of global elite exposed
Sachin, with his wife Anjali Tendulkar and father-in-law Anand Mehta, were named as Beneficial Owners (BOs) and Directors of a British Virgin Islands (BVI)-based company: Saas International Limited. Tony Blair and his wife acquired a London office, they saved £312,000 in stamp duty. Jordon’s King, King Abdullah II, has purchased around 14 luxury houses worth $106 million, including a $23 million property in California. Several members of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's inner circle, including current and former cabinet ministers secretly owned an array of companies.