The trial of 27 people charged in connection with the worldwide “Panama Papers” money laundering started this week in a Panamanian criminal court.
Those on trial include the owners of the Mossack-Fonseca law firm that was at the heart of the 2016 massive document leak.
The Panama Papers include a collection of 11 million secret financial documents that illustrate how some of the world›s richest people hide their money.
The repercussions of the leaks have been far-ranging, prompting the resignation of the prime minister of Iceland and bringing scrutiny to the leaders of Argentina and Ukraine, Chinese politicians and Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others.
The often-delayed trial opened earlier this week, with lawyers Juergen Mossack, Ramón Fonseca and other former representatives, lawyers or ex-employees of the firm facing money laundering charges.
Mossack was present in the courtroom, and said “I am not guilty of such acts.”
Lawyers for Fonseca said he was in a hospital in Panama.
The case centers on allegations the firm set up shell companies to acquire properties in Panama with money from a sprawling corruption scheme in Brazil known as the Car Wash, or Lava Jato in Portuguese.
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