COPENHAGEN: Denmark has received data leaked from a Panamanian law firm that helped customers open offshore companies to avoid paying taxes, authorities said Thursday, adding they paid nearly six million kroner ($902,500) for it.
Jim Soerensen, an official with the Danish Customs and Tax Administration, said they were able “to run through the material on Sept. 6 before we paid.” Soerensen said they now will “go deeper” to see whether people in the documents should be investigated for tax dodging.
“I can’t speak on behalf of other countries, but I can say that we in Denmark are open about what authorities here do,” he told The Associated Press. “Contact with the anonymous source was made through another country.” He declined to name the source or the country, but said contacts were made via encrypted text messages. The taxation authorities had received information containing legal documents, agreements, and correspondence, he added.
“If we find any information that regards another country, we will pass on that information as international agreements say,” Soerensen said.
Earlier this month, the Danish authorities said they had received an anonymous offer to acquire data from the so-called “Panama Papers” that could involve up to 600 people. At the time they didn’t disclose the price. Soerensen said 4.7 million kroner ($706,960) were paid directly to the source and 1.2 million kroner ($180,500) in taxes on the transaction, which he said was made “recently.”
