People's Republic of Offshore
People's Republic of Offshore
Files shed light on nearly 22,000 tax haven clients from Hong Kong and mainland China.
Unlocking China’s Secrets
Search more than 37,000 tax haven clients from Greater China in the ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database.
China: Who Uses Offshore Tax Havens
Explore the links to power of some prominent Chinese users of tax havens.
Map: The Offshore Leaks Revelations
Discover stories from more than 60 countries in an interactive map.Empires & Offshore
China’s Scandal-Torn Oil Industry Embraces Tax Havens
One man’s legal battle against oil giant highlights role that offshore murk plays in China’s economy.
Overview
Secret Files Expose Offshore’s Global Impact
Dozens of journalists sifted through millions of leaked records to produce ICIJ’s investigation into offshore secrecy.
BVI Diaries
The British Virgin Islands: A Forbidden City
A French journalist travels from Paris to visit the Caribbean hideaway that has become the favorite destination for Chinese offshore patrons.
Favorite tax havens
Graphic: Where China Goes Offshore
Where residents of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan prefer to incorporate their offshore entities.
Stonewalls & Secrecy
Paradise of Untouchable Assets
The Cook Islands have gained the reputation of being a place where assets can be hidden from business partners or former spouses.
The Politics of Offshore
Politicians Talk Tough On Tax Haven Reform, But Activists Say Talk Is Cheap
Big players are taking unprecedented steps to stop offshore abuses, but financial crime fighters worry reforms don’t go far enough.
Insiders & Offshore
Offshore Firms Funneled Away Millions As Serbian Companies Shed Workers and Lurched Toward Ruin
Newly revealed documents paint former Macedonian economics minister as backstage player in demise of big employer in Serbia’s heartland.
Offshore & Crime
American Fugitive Used Big Banks To Shuffle More Than $1 Million Offshore, Records Show
Alleged underworld figure moved money around the world as he was being sought on money laundering charges in the United States.
Web App
Search the Offshore Leaks Data
Search more than 100,000 secret companies, trusts and funds created in offshore locales such as the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands and Singapore.
Behind the story
Video: Offshore Leaks Names Revealed
The ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database cracks open the impenetrable world of offshore tax havens. Users can through more than 100,000 secret companies, trusts and funds created in offshore locales such as the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands and Singapore.
Search the Offshore Leaks data
ICIJ Releases Offshore Leaks Database Revealing Names Behind Secret Companies, Trusts
Readers can search information about the ownership of more than 100,000 offshore entities in tax havens and discover the networks around them.
Politicians & Offshore
Son of Former Korean President Obtained Secret Offshore Company Amid Family’s Tax Evasion Scandal
‘Offshore Leaks’ records show oldest son of South Korea’s former president Chun Doo-hwan had British Virgin Islands company amid his family's tax evasion scandal.
Banks & Offshore
US Tax Authorities Target Caribbean Bank
IRS thought to be using Offshore Leaks material against First Caribbean International Bank in tax evasion inquiry.
Impact
‘Offshore Leaks’ Revelations Force Resignation of Top European Banker
Raiffeisen Bank’s Herbert Stepic says he’s stepping down to shield the Austrian financial giant from a media firestorm over his offshore holdings.
Impact
Tax Authorities Move on Leaked Offshore Documents
The U.S., British and Australian authorities are working with a gigantic cache of leaked data -- believed to include those obtained by the ICIJ -- that may be the beginnings of one of the largest tax investigations in history.
Stonewalls & Secrecy
Missing Canadian Kept Secret Offshore Accounts
Canadian man who vanished a decade ago in a possible underworld killing set up offshore companies and bank accounts before he went missing.
Banks & Offshore
JPMorgan Chase’s record highlights doubts about big banks’ devotion to fighting dirty money flows
Money-laundering issues at U.S. and UK financial firms shed light on role of rich nations and elite banks in the offshore world.
Offshore & the Mega-Rich
Bankrupt Swedish Tycoon Had Fortune Stashed in South Pacific
Real estate mogul Hans Thulin built offshore maze as Swedish government and other creditors pursued him, secret records show.
Governments & Offshore
Finnish Finance Minister Calls State-Owned Postal Company’s Links to Tax Havens 'Repulsive'
State-owned postal company Itella has three subsidiaries in Cyprus and one in the British Virgin Islands, records show.
Notable names
Who Uses the Offshore World
Secret records obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reveal tens of thousands of people in more than 170 countries and territories linked to offshore companies and trusts. Here are some examples from around the world.
Politicians & Offshore
Bank Owned by Paraguay’s Leading Presidential Candidate Linked to Tax Haven
Five directors of Banco Amambay created a secret bank in the Cook Islands with no building and no staff.
Actors & Offshore
Crocodile Dundee Actor Paul Hogan Chases His Missing Offshore Millions
Paul Hogan wants his millions back from Switzerland, but his Geneva intermediaries refuse to give him the loot.
Banks & Offshore
Swiss Bank Pushed Offshore Middleman to Skip Anti-Money Laundering Checks for Wealthy Clients
Clariden, part of Credit Suisse, sought highly secretive structures for some clients.
Impact
India Says It Will Investigate Offshore Leaks Revelations
Politicians, business leaders among prominent figures linked to tax haven activity.
Offshore & the Mega-Rich
Secret Files Reveal Rothschild’s Offshore Domain
Late guardian of French branch of banking dynasty had a web of at least 20 secrecy-cloaked trusts in the South Pacific.
Churches & Offshore
Family of Televangelist Chris Oyakhilome Incorporated Secretive Company in Tax Haven
Shares of an offshore company were held in trust for the daughters of Nigerian mega-church pastor, associate says.
Banks & Offshore
Dutch Banking Giants Helped Clients Go Offshore
ING and ABN Amro set up dozens of companies in island tax havens.
Offshore & the Mega-Rich
Billionaires Among Thousands of Indonesians Found in Secret Offshore Documents
Owners of corporations registered in tax havens include some linked to regime of the late dictator, Suharto.
Middlemen & Enablers
The Swiss Lawyers Who Help Europe’s Richest Families Park Their Wealth Offshore
Thyssen, Sachs and Rothschild are among Switzerland’s largest law firm clients.
Politicians & Offshore
Son of Leading Pakistani Politician Tied To Secret Caribbean Company
Moonis Elahi, a Punjab legislator, was shareholder of a British Virgin Islands firm set up with the help of Swiss bank UBS.
Britain
Jailed Property Man Hid Assets Offshore During Divorce
Ex-wife is suing Scot Young for share of $610m fortune that he claims he lost within three months.
Politicians & Offshore
Top Malaysian Politicians Use Offshore Secrecy
Key members of the Malaysian government, their families, and well-heeled associates are among those owning secretive offshore companies in Singapore and the British Virgin Islands.
Middlemen & Enablers
Faux Corporate Directors Stand in for Fraudsters, Despots and Spies
Worldwide network of ‘nominee directors’ helps hide real people, and organizations, behind offshore companies.
U.S.
Offshore Tax Havens Became Traps for Investors
Internal records of offshore trusts and companies in the South Pacific and the Caribbean reveal sanctuaries for secrecy-seekers.
Animated primer
Video: Tax Havens 101
What are offshore tax havens, who uses them, and how do they work? Find out in our animated explainer.
Banks & Offshore
French Banks Traded in Secrecy
Secret documents show that, from the late 1990s until the end of the 2000s, French banks BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole oversaw the creation of a large number of totally opaque offshore companies for clients in search of secrecy and lower tax rates.
Middlemen & Enablers
Lawyers and Accountants Help Rich Manage Their Money
The story of Portcullis TrustNet and its birthplace — the Cook Islands — is in many ways the story of the offshore system itself.
Offshore & the Mega-Rich
After Multi-Million Inheritance, Playboy Sachs Goes Offshore
He's known as Brigitte Bardot’s husband, photographer, director, art collector. Now another aspect has come to light about Gunter Sachs: a man who set up an intricate offshore scheme to manage his vast fortune, a scheme that remained inscrutable to the fiscal authorities until the end.
Conflict & Offshore
Offshore Documents Solve Mystery of Pre-Civil War Helicopter Deal in Congo
Secret records from British Virgin Islands firm show a South African and two Americans reaped $2.5 million from aborted sale of surplus military choppers to Congolese leader.
Politicians & Offshore
François Hollande’s Campaign Treasurer’s Investments in the Cayman Islands
Jean-Jacques Augier says that his actions were fully legal and attributes his participation in these schemes to his “adventurous nature”.
Offshore middlemen
Caribbean Go-Between Provided Shelter for Far-Away Frauds, Documents Show
British Virgin Islands firm kept doing business with shady characters even as regulators prodded it to obey anti-money-laundering laws.
Impact
Philippine Government to Probe Marcos Daughter’s Offshore Trust
Offshore reporting collaboration prompts interest from two Philippine government agencies and attorney representing former Marcos regime political prisoners.
Banks & Offshore
Deutsche Bank Helped Customers Maintain Hundreds of Offshore Entities
Largest German bank’s Singapore unit helped birth companies and trusts in tax havens.
Russia
Elites Undermine Putin Rail Against Tax Havens
Owners of corporations registered in British Virgin Islands include top managers of state-controlled giants.
Offshore Crime
Ponzi Scheme Used Offshore Hideaways To Shuffle Investors’ Money
Bribes for Venezuelan officials were funneled through tax havens, court filings claim.
Financial Crisis & Offshore
Taxmen Have Little Clue of Offshore Companies Owned by Greeks
Officials say they will check ICIJ’s data for any evidence of misconduct by owners of offshore companies.
Global view
Map: Key Tax Haven Clients In the World
Read more about the Offshore Leaks investigations in each country.
Politicians & Offshore
Ferdinand Marcos’ Daughter Tied to Offshore Trust in Caribbean
Records show late dictator's oldest child, now a Philippine provincial governor, didn't disclose British Virgin Islands trust in asset declarations required for public officials.
Politicians & Offshore
Disclosure of secret offshore documents may force top Mongolian lawmaker to resign
Deputy speaker of Mongolia’s Parliament admits he had $1 million Swiss account.
Detective story
How ICIJ’s Project Team Analyzed the Offshore Files
The ICIJ’s exploration of the secretive world of offshore companies and trusts began after a computer hard drive packed with corporate data and personal information and e-mails arrived in the mail.
Politicians & Offshore
Canadian Senator's Husband Shifted Money Into Offshore Tax Havens
Lawyer Tony Merchant, Canada’s “class action king,” sought secrecy for Cook Islands trust.
Politicians & Offshore
Offshore companies provide link between corporate mogul and Azerbaijan’s president
Members of Azerbaijan’s first family have had been shareholders in at least four offshore companies, newly revealed records show.
Visualizing the web
Interactive: Gunter Sachs's Offshore Network
He's known as Brigitte Bardot’s husband, photographer, director, art collector. Now another aspect has come to light about Gunter Sachs: a man who set up an intricate offshore scheme to manage his vast fortune, a scheme that remained inscrutable to the fiscal authorities until the end.
Politicians & Offshore
'Crony' of African Strongman Among Thai Names in Secret Offshore Files
Politicians and billionaire business magnates are among prominent Thais listed in secret documents as owners of offshore holdings in tax havens.
Play the offshore game
Interactive: Stash Your Cash
From wealthy citizens trying to pay less tax, to savvy swindlers and drug lords with riches to hide, people have spent decades stealthily shifting money via European principalities, Caribbean archipelagos and Pacific Islands. Unravel the mystery of how they do it.
Art and Offshore Mix
Mega-Rich Use Tax Havens to Buy and Sell Masterpieces
Famed Spanish art patron uses island haven in South Pacific to manage her collection.
Britain
Nominee Directors Linked to Intelligence, Military
Companies making use of offshore secrecy include firm that supplied surveillance software used by repressive regimes.
Cosmetic surgery tycoon had secret offshore company
The millionaire head of a controversial cosmetic surgery chain, the biggest in the UK, owned a secret offshore company linked to the clinic, it can be revealed.
Britons Snapped Up Luxury Villas on Thai Island
Former tennis star David Lloyd among UK citizens who used offshore companies to buy high-end properties on island of Phuket.
Post-Soviet Billionaires Invade UK ... Via British Virgin Islands
Questions arise as mega-rich from Russia and former Soviet republics descend on London.
Interactive: We Reveal Who's Buying Up Britain
Properties being bought through the use of tax loopholes and the secrecy offered by the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Click on the house icons to see the approximate street-view location and details of each property. Or click on the dropdown menu to see all the properties owned by individuals investigated in our report
Who’s Buying Britain? Probe Reveals Real Estate Speculators Hidden By Offshore Alchemy
Secretive trusts and companies born in British Virgin Islands have helped anonymous buyers snap up luxury properties in London and other UK locales.
One Block in London, Many Secret Owners
Bankrupt Irish developer and the Ukraine’s richest man are among individuals linked to hyper-lux apartments for the super rich.
Video: How To Dodge Tax
ICIJ collaborated with the BBC and the Guardian to unmask the "nominee directors" who pose as public faces for more than 21,500 offshore companies.
Front Men Disguise the Offshore Game's Real Players
Joint probe by ICIJ, the BBC and the Guardian unmasks 28 "nominee directors" who pose as public faces for more than 21,500 companies.
‘Fatal Blow’ Against Sham Corporate Directors Not So Fatal After All
UK’s crackdown on Channel island ‘Sark Lark’ simply scattered key players to other tax havens.
Meet the Queen of Nevis
British woman living on goat-tramped Caribbean outcropping listed as director for more than 1,200 companies.
British Virgin Islands Well-Known for Sunny Beaches – and Strict Secrecy
The Caribbean island chain is a favorite haven for attention-shy company owners.
How the nominee trick works
Three pieces of paper allow companies' real owners to hide behind 'nominee' directors.
Australia
Inside the shell: Drugs, arms and tax scams
Arms deals between North Korea and Iran, money-laundering by Mexican drug lords, and Russia's largest tax fraud: the common element is a 68-year-old Queensland businessman, Geoffrey Taylor.