European meeting reviews Mossack Fonseca

At a time when Panama is protesting its inclusion on the latest European Union (EU) blacklist, a third coordination meeting was held on February 13 and 14 at the headquarters of Eurojust, in the Netherlands, on investigations into alleged criminal activities related to the Mossack-Fonseca law firm, the center of the Panama Papers scandal.

Eurojust was created in 2002, with the aim of supporting and reinforcing the coordination and cooperation between national authorities in the fight against serious forms of cross-border crime in the  EU.

A  delegation from the Public Ministry of Panama had the opportunity to meet with representatives of Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Holland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, the and the US.. Europol also participated.

Money laundering
The investigation into the “Mossack Fonseca papers” represents an “unprecedented” case of international money laundering in which international judicial cooperation has been crucial, said a Eurojust statement. 

Eurojust recalled that it plays a fundamental role in bringing together all the competent authorities of the EU Member States and third States, “facilitating the exchange of information and ensuring the coordination of investigations,” adds this report.

During the meeting, the Panamanian delegation authorities made known the new law criminalizing tax evasion on the isthmus. “Panama is a country in the process of overcoming some obstacles identified by international observers and is now making unprecedented efforts in the fight against organized crime,” members of the delegation said.