Bolivia hunting citizens named in Panama Papers

THE BOLIVIAN government  is launching a major  program to hunt down individuals and companies identified in the Panama Papers.

Prosecutors from Bolivia arrived in Panama Tuesday, May 10,  as part of the investigation into citizens of that country linked to the Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca.

“We have concluded the meeting with Prosecutor (Javier) Caraballo, who is leading the investigation in Panama,”said  Bolivian Attorney General Ramiro Guerrero.

There are 18 entities connected to the firm from Bolivia, as well as 8 beneficiaries and 35 shareholders.

The Bolivian government requested the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) for information about residents of the country involved with the firm, but the agency has said it will not cooperate with governments.

On Tuesday, Bolivian Vice President Álvaro García announced that he will create a parliamentary fact-finding mission.

“We must study bank accounts and the purchase and sale of companies,” he said. “It will not be an easy investigation, but we have to identify the people who avoided paying taxes to the Bolivian people.”

The people linked to the investigation include prominent members of the opposition.