International MEGASKANDAL: Revealed suspicious transactions of hundreds of politicians and billionaires! Babiš had to wash 15 million euros – Topky.sk

The findings, published today by the Investigace.cz website, are part of the new global Pandora Papers project, which is backed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Babiš refused to do anything illegal in this case. He sees it as an attempt to denigrate and influence the election, he wrote in response. According to the Investigace.cz portal, Babiš is threatened with investigation not only in France, but also in the USA and the Czech Republic.

The website stated that in July 2009, Babiš, with the help of the French law firm DB Artwell Avocats and the Panamanian law firm Alcogal, had companies set up anonymously and discreetly, with the directors involved. “Four months later, he used the structure to transfer € 15 million (then € 381 million) from one of his companies to another. coast, “ wrote the portal.

Well, it’s here. I was waiting for what they would pull on me just before the election to hurt me and influence the Czech election. There is no case they can pull on me while I’m in politics.

– Andrej Babis (@AndrejBabis) October 3, 2021

“No normal business transaction would ever look like this,” former financial crime investigator, Kamil Kouba, an anti-money laundering consultant, told the website. “That scheme comes to me as a textbook for investigators. In English, it even has its name: loan back,” he added.

According to the website, the analyzed documents do not show what was the source of the mentioned money. “In any case, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš made considerable efforts to hide the fact that he is the owner of the 15 million euros. In addition to using the scheme of offshore companies, which ensured his anonymity, he did not admit to his companies in the Czech Republic.” the journalists pointed out, noting that Babiš did not state any of the companies in any property declaration.

In France, according to the website, Babiš is in danger of losing his property if he does not prove the origin of 381 million crowns under the law on proving wealth. He is also threatened with an investigation in the USA, given that the whole scheme bears signs of money laundering and included his American company, the website said.

“However, the case can also be resolved by the Czech police if they find a reasonable suspicion of money laundering. Given that the loan was due only in 2019, the case is not time-barred.” added the web.

Babiš claims that he did nothing wrong

The Czech Prime Minister and chairman of the ANO movement, Andrej Babiš, denies that in the case of the so-called Pandora Papers, that is, information about the transfer of 400 million crowns through his offshore companies, did something illegal. He sees it as an attempt to denigrate himself and influence the election. Babiš announced this in response to a question from ČTK.

I have never done anything illegal or wrong, but that does not prevent them from trying to denigrate me again and influence the Czech parliamentary elections.

– Andrej Babis (@AndrejBabis) October 3, 2021

The Investigace.cz website stated today that Babiš sent almost 400 million crowns (15 million euros) through his offshore companies, for which he then bought real estate on the French Riviera, including the Bigaud manor house. According to experts, the operation bears the marks of money laundering, the website said.

“In this case, it is clear that I have not done anything illegal or wrong, but that does not prevent them from trying to denigrate me again and thus influence the Czech parliamentary elections.” said Babiš. But he did not say exactly who he meant. He pointed out, among other things, that this was a case 12 years old. “It’s the same before every election, I’ll pull something out of the distant past to show that nothing happened.” he added.

Source: FB / ČT24

In the television debate of the election leaders of the four parliamentary parties on CNN Prima News, Babiš said that it was taxed money. “I can easily prove that the money left the Czech bank and returned to the Czech bank,” declared. According to him, the financier Zdeněk Bakala is behind the information. He allegedly did not answer journalists from the investigace.cz website and some foreign media, who asked him for a reaction to his findings, because he thought they were aggressive, and if they wanted to talk to him about it, they should have written to him.

The chairman of the Pirates, Ivan Bartoš, stated in the debate that “this has corrupt elements until the body ruptures”. ODS chairman Petr Fiala called the case a huge international scandal. He called Babiš’s statement ridiculous. SPD Chairman Tomio Okamura believes that it is first necessary to find out whether Babiš violated domestic laws. If there were to be any mistakes, let them be investigated, he said.

More names will be added

In the international journalism project Pandora Papers, which deals with the use of offshore companies, more than 300 Czechs and 178 offshore companies with a Czech background appear in the leaked documents. Among them are a former minister, a criminal, local politicians, a banker, armourers, real estate and media magnates and the richest people in the Czech Republic. This was stated today by the Investigace.cz website. Apart from Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (YES), the server has not published any specific names yet. He wrote that he would address the other actors gradually and publish other texts on his website.

Pandora Papers originates in documents leaked from the Panamanian law firm Alcogal, which was acquired by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. More than 600 journalists from more than a hundred countries around the world collaborated on the project. In their own words, they revealed how the powerful and rich use offshore companies and non-transparent jurisdictions for anonymity and tax optimization. The documents include the names of criminals, celebrities, politicians, footballers, judges and people from tax authorities around the world.