Panama prosecutor’s office appeals release of 28 defendants in Panama Papers case

On June 28, a Panamanian judge acquitted 28 directors and employees of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, which was used by celebrities around the world to hide their money, according to the Panama Papers, a news investigation published by multiple media outlets about the leak of millions of documents from the office.

“The Second Prosecutor’s Office for the Fight against Organized Crime announced the appeal to the Second Court for Liquidation of Criminal Cases against the acquittals in the ‘Car Wash Operation’ and ‘Panama Papers’ cases,” the entity reported on the social network X.

In his ruling, Judge Baloísa Marquinez also acquitted all defendants in the “Car Wash” case, in which prosecutors accused the Panamanian law firm of laundering money by paying bribes to officials in several Latin American countries through Brazilian construction companies, including Odebrecht, in order to win contracts.

Because the charges and defendants were the same, the judge merged the “Panama Papers” and “Car Wash” cases into one, then acquitted all the defendants.

Among them was 76-year-old lawyer Jürgen Mossack, one of the firm’s founders, who said on Wednesday he had woken from a “nightmare” when he and his collaborators were acquitted.

been: Acquitted Panama Papers law firm head says: ‘We’ve woken up from a nightmare’

His partner and firm co-founder Ramón Fonseca died in May at age 71, nearly three weeks after the trial hearings ended.

As a result of the scandals, the company had to close down, and the creation of opaque companies in the country decreased dramatically. In some countries, senior officials had to resign, and other defendants were convicted as a result of these investigations.

Panama’s new president, Jose Raul Mulino, said when he took office on Monday that the Panama Papers scandal was an “international scam” that harmed the country’s financial system. The company’s lawyers made the same argument, but none provided details of the alleged conspiracy.

However, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which published the Panama Papers, defended its release.

“By revealing hidden truths, as we did with the Panama Papers, we provide the public with the information they need to demand accountability and drive reform,” Gerard Ryle, executive director of the International Justice Commission, said after the ruling.

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