Anne Wilson-Chapman of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists writes about the ongoing fallout from the Panama Papers in Malta, the ontinuing effort to tie Covid tax relief packages to tax transparency and Luanda ‘leaks.’

Maltese Secrets
Malta’s former deputy prime minister, Konrad Mizzi, was voted out of his party last week because of his Panama Papers connections. Our 2016 investigation revealed he incorporated undeclared shell companies shortly after taking office.  His expulsion came after he refused to step down.

“Toothless Bans”
Poland, France, Belgium and Denmark are among the European nations that want to stop companies that use tax havens from getting coronavirus-related relief funds. But tax reformers argue the laws are ‘toothless’. It  don’t go far enough and leave too much wiggle room for companies. “What we really need to be asking are specifics like: ‘Give us beneficial ownership. Give us country-by-country reporting. Comply or explain,'” said tax expert Professor Richard Murphy.

Denying Justice
Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos claims she has been “denied justice”  by the country’s “rigged” legal system. A Luanda court threw out an appeal to unfreeze personal and corporate bank accounts belonging to dos Santos, her husband and her senior business managers. The assets were frozen in December, just weeks before Luanda Leaks was published. Angolan prosecutors say her claim is “unfounded.”

New Tax Committe
The European Union has established yet another tax committee – albeit this time a permanent one to focus on tax avoidance in the region. The subcommittee will focus on industrial-scale corporate tax avoidance by global tech companies, and the lack of transparency around multinationals’ tax information. But the new body will have limited powers, and won’t tackle money laundering.