A statement on the website of Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers document leak, maintains that the firm has ‘never been accused or charged in connection with criminal wrongdoing.’ However, sources close to the scandal have confirmed that prosecutors from the US Department of Justice and the Manhattan US attorney’s office have launched a probe to discover whether any of the firm’s employees or managers may have acted illegally through their advice or assistance to clients. The investigation is reportedly focusing on a handful of lower-level employees at Mossack Fonseca, but may later expand in scope. In order to bring charges, prosecutors would need to prove that lawyers at the firm had either deliberately assisted or turned a blind eye to the illegal activities of their clients.
Sources: Wall Street Journal
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