ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will keep the details of the owners of offshore companies secret, said a top official.
FBR spokesman Dr Mohammad Iqbal has said that reminder notices have been sent to as many as 400 Pakistanis exposed in Panama leaks for having offshore companies. “Their replies and full details would be kept secret,” he said, responding a question related to taking action against 550 Pakistanis exposed in Bahamas and Panama leaks. He also told that difficulties are being faced in contacting 150 people due to lack of addresses.
Earlier, Bahama leaks revealed details of more than 175,000 offshore companies out of which 69 are reportedly owned by Pakistanis.
The new cache of leaked documents was received by the German newspaper ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
Among those named in the Bahamas leaks include Jamaat-e-Islami former senator Professor Khurshid Ahmed, Gibran Khan, the son of Mohammad Naseer Khan, a former minister in Musharraf’s government, Mohsin Abu Bakar Sheikhani, a construction business owner from Karachi, Obaid Altaf Khanani, son of Altaf Khanani and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s wife, Tehmina Durrani’s mother Samina Durrani.
The documents have also let out details of 539 intermediary agents that serve as bridges between Bahamian authorities and clients. Mossack Fonseca, the law firm in Panama, infamous for Panama leaks is also named as the mediating agent among 539 total entities.
Pakistan is yet to probe Panama Leaks allegations against daughter and two sons of the premier as the opposition has alleged the leader of using offshore companies to stash wealth abroad.
