Sachin Tendulkar named in ‘Pandora Papers’
Renowned Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been named among celebrities from across the world whose offshore financial dealings were exposed by the "Pandora Papers".
His lawyer said the cricketer's investment is legitimate and has been declared to tax authorities, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) report noted.
Millions of leaked documents dubbed the Pandora Papers and a worldwide journalistic partnership on Sunday claimed to have uncovered financial secrets of current and former world leaders, politicians and public officials in 91 countries and territories, including India.
At least six Indian politicians have been linked with offshore dealings, according to a map presented by the ICIJ, reports the Hindu.
ICIJ, which involved the BBC, the Guardian and the Indian Express in India among 150 media outlets in its investigation, claimed it obtained over 11.9 million confidential files to find secret financial dealings of many super-rich.
"People linked by the secret documents to offshore assets include India's cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar, pop music diva Shakira, supermodel Claudia Schiffer and an Italian mobster known as 'Lell the Fat One'," the ICIJ report said.
According to the ICIJ, its secret documents expose offshore dealings of the likes of the King of Jordan, the presidents of Ukraine, Kenya and Ecuador, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The files also reveal the financial activities of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "unofficial minister of propaganda" and more than 130 billionaires from Russia, the US, Turkey and other nations.
According to ICIJ, the leaked records come from 14 offshore services firms from around the world that set up shell companies and other offshore nooks for clients often seeking to keep their financial activities in the shadows.
The ICIJ analysis of the secret documents identified 956 companies in offshore havens tied to 336 high-level politicians and public officials, including country leaders, cabinet ministers, ambassadors and others.
