W wr līct ɖ Paṇmā Peprz. Hir’z hǎ t brñ dǎn Pūtin’z croniz
(Transcription of an article published in the Observer on 27 March 2022)
Ɖ jṛsdix́nz ɖt hlp clepṭcrats liv in lux̣́ri on stoḷn asets mst stop śīldñ c’rupt ilīts
Frederik Obermaier n Bastian Obermayer, Tyzde 29 Marć 2022
Sevn yirz ago, an anoniṃs sors hu wnt bî ɖ nem “Jon Do” pṛvîdd s wɖ ɖ deta ɖt bcem ɖ Paṇmā Peprz – 2.6 teṛbaits v līct dokmnts fṛm ɖ Paṇmeńn lwfrm Mosac Fonseca. Ɖ līc trnd ǎt t hv qt an impresiv Ruśn cmponnt. W faund śelcumṗniz cnctd t Vḷdīmir Pūtin’z jūdofrendz, Boris n Arcādi Rotenberg, t ɖ oḷgarc Aliśer Ŭzmanov n ɖ wîf v ɖ Cremlin spocsmn Dmītri Pescov. Bt, most sgnificntli, w stumbld acrs Serge Roldūgin, a pṛfeśnl ćelist n godfaɖr v Pūtin’z eldist dōtr, hu hd a sntṛl rǒl in a netwrc v sīcrit ofśordīlz n vast lounz wrʈ $2bn, dscrîbd at ɖ tîm az ɖ ci t tresñ Pūtin’z hidn fortyn.
Ol ɖs hidn wlʈ matrd ẃn w publiśt ɖ Paṇmā Peprz in 2016, tū yirz aftr Ruśa hd anxt ɖ Crîmiyn pninsyla. Nǎ, aftr ɖ fl-scel inveźn v Ycren, it matrz mor ɖn evr. Lwmecrz in ɖ YC, ɖ YY, ɖ YS n Caṇda hv sañśnd Ruśn bancs, Ruśn cumṗniz n indivijlz clos t Pūtin. Ɖs includz Ruśn oḷgarcs, az wel az Pūtin’z frendz, s’portrz n admîrrz hu hv hlpt fsiḷtet hiz cleptocṛsi bî hîdñ hiz wlʈ in acǎnts undr ɖer ǒn nemz or jst ćampịnñ hiz cleptocṛsi fr ɖer ǒn ilisit inrićmnt. Indivijlz lîc ɖ ćelist Serge Roldūgin, ɖ Rotenberg bruɖrz n Ŭzmanov.
Nǎ, ɖ wstn wrld hz dsîdd ɖt ɖe wont Pūtin’z frendz t b sañśnd fr ɖ cleptocṛsi n harm ɖe hv fsiḷtetd n fṛm ẃć ɖe hv beṇfitd. Proṣktrz n invstgetrz az wel az speśl p’līs ynits r nǎ huntñ fr ɖ rićz v Pūtin’z frendz. Ɖe r sizñ yots, grǎndñ pleinz n conḟscetñ laviś vilaz. Yt ẃt ɖe wl fînd z probbli onli ɖ tip v ɖ îsbrg. T riyli hit Pūtin n hiz frendz ẃr it hrts, wn mst g t Switṣḷnd, t Paṇmā, Sîpṛs n ɖ Britiś Vrjin Îḷndz. Unforćṇtli, invstgetrz wl probbli nt gt mć hlp ɖr – az sīcṛsi z ẃt ɖoz cuntriz sel.
Icoṇmists lîc t cōl ɖm taxhêvnz or sīcṛsi jṛsdix́nz. Bt “blac houlz” wd b mor aproprịt fr ɖz plesz ẃr grīdi loyrz, tax advîzrz, cnsultnts n uɖr crŭcs hlp ɖ rić n pǎrfl t hîd or, az ɖe pt it, “fns” ɖer asets. Ɖz wilñ hlprz asist ɖ oḷgarcs t mc ɖer fortynz vaniś fṛm ɖ vy v lw inforsmnt.
Ẃn w rsivd ɖ līc ɖt bcem ɖ Paṇmā Peprz, w faund – apart fṛm Roldūgin – duznz v filʈi rić Ruśnz. Ẃn w rsivd ɖ Paṛdîs Peprz, anɖr ofśor deṭlīc, ɖ nemz v oḷgarcs Romān Abramović, Aliśer Ŭzmanov n Oleg Deripasca apird in ɖ deta, az dd Olga Śŭvalova, ɖ wîf v Ruśa’z frst depyti prîm̦inistr. Mor ɖn a yir ago w got hold v ɖ Suisse Sīcrits, yt anɖr līc, n ɖr wz ɖ sistr v Aliśer Ŭzmanov n a fortyn v abt 2bn Swis francs.
Sañśnz r a pǎrfl tūl in foṛn poḷsi. Sm īvn cōl ɖm a “tūl v modn wor”. W unḍstand ɖ îdīa t pt preśr on Pūtin’z inr srcl n Ruśa’z icoṇmi. Bt ẃ stop ɖr? Let’s adres ɖ probḷm n nt onli its simtmz. Let’s ćenj ɖ sistm so guvnmnts d nt hv t rlî on sañśnz t privnt Pūtin n uɖr cleptocṛsiz fṛm genñ mor pǎr.
Frst n fōrmost, sīcṛsi jṛsdix́nz ɖmslvz nīd t b tarġtd. It z nt inuf t g aftr ɖ proḟtirz v ɖz cuntriz, bt ɖ jṛsdix́nz ɖmslvz. F nesṣri, ɖ blac houlz ɖmslvz nīd t b sañśnd – t brñ ćenj nt onli t ɖ wor in Ycren, bt wrldwîd.
Ruśa’z oḷgarcs r nt ɖ onli wnz hu injô a lux̣́ri lîfstîl fînanst wɖ stoḷn muni. Cleptocṛsi n c’rupśn r far fṛm a ynīcli Ruśn fnominn.
Ʈnc Veṇzwela. Ʈnc Ćîna. Ʈnc Angola.
Adresñ ɖ sstemic cōzz v cleptocṛsi n c’rupśn wl inevitbli mīn tarġtñ bʈ ɖ līgl strucćrz n pṛfeśnlz in ɖ wst ɖt fsiḷtet cleptocṛsi: lwfrmz, cnsultnts n asetmanijrz in Zŭrih, Lundn n Ny Yorc hu reğlrli lend a hlpñ hand t clepṭcrats. Ɖe profit fṛm jṛsdix́nz lîc ɖ Cemn Îḷndz n Switṣḷnd – n yes, ɖ YS – ẃć stl ofr sīcṛsi on a grand scel. Ɖe profit fṛm jṛsdix́nz wɖt public reɉstriz v hu ǒnz riyl istet n cumṗniz.
Dfndrz v sīcṛsi clem ɖer rîts t priṿsi matr most. Bt let s fes ɖ facts: fnanśl sīcṛsi z ɖ enjin v globl c’rupśn n cleptocṛsi. It mcs it tù īzi fr c’rupt ilīts t plundr hol continnts, fr traficrz v drugz n ppl t lōndr ɖer muni, n it hlps t fînans brūtl worz. It hlps Pūtin n hiz frendz.
Forćṇtli, in lêt 2020, ɖ Ynîtd Stets guvnmnt fîṇli pást lejsleśn ɖt rqîrz a beṇfiśl-ǒnrśp reɉstri fr YS cumṗniz. Similr reɉstriz xist in duznz v cuntriz, bcz forsñ cumṗniz t rvil hu ultiṃtli beṇfits fṛm ɖm mcs it far mor dificlt fr clepṭcrats n ɖer croniz t hîd ɖer ilisit muni. Bt ɖ YS lejsleśn, ɖ Corpṛt Trnspaṛnsi Act, dz nt g far inuf. It forsz ɖ ultiṃt beṇfiśl ǒnrz t b rvild onli t ɖ oʈoṛtiz n onli undr srtn srcmstansz.
Bt nt t ɖ public. N ɖs z a hyj mstec.
Az loñ az w rlî on oʈoṛtiz n lw inforsmnt alon, clepṭcrats, ōṭcrats n Pūtin’z frendz wl hv an īzịr tîm ivedñ sañśnz n cntinywñ t hîd ɖer il-gotn genz. Ḿćl līgl asistns btwn naśnl lw-inforsmnt ejnsiz tecs yirz, n dz nt peṇtret ɖ ńmṛs leyrz v sīcṛsi yzd bî īṿlduwrz arnd ɖ glob. Jrṇlists n sivl ssayti grūps hv prūvn t b far mor ifctiv. Ɖe cn c’laḅret qcli n ifctivli acrs bordrz, ɖe cn wrc wɖ līct deta (smʈñ lw inforsmnt stl hz t lrn) n cnct it wɖ pubḷcli aveḷbl deta. Ny guvnmnt tascforsz set p lêt in ɖ de t ćes Pūtin’z croniz’ caś wl b inṣfiśnt. Guvnmnts śd opn p ɖ reɉstriz: cumṗnireɉstriz, śipreɉstriz, pleinreɉstriz, riyl-istet reɉstriz. Gv ɖ invstgtiv pǎr t ɖ ppl – n w bet: y wl nt b dis’pôntd.
Abv ol, let’s fîṇli gt rid v ɖoz blac houlz.
• • •
Frederik Obermaier n Bastian Obermayer r invstgtiv jrṇlists wɖ ɖ Jrmn pepr Süddeutsche Zeitung. Ɖe iniśietd ɖ 2016 Paṇmā Peprz az wel az ɖ 2017 Paṛdîs Peprz reṿleśnz n ɖ 2022 Suisse Sīcrits. Obermaier z cofǎndr v ɖ Anti-C’rupśn Deṭc’lectiv (https://acdatacollective.org), Obermayer on ɖ bōrd v Fbidn Storiz (https://forbiddenstories.org).
