Millions of legal documents relating to financial transactions and mysteries of the strong of this world have become the property of the media. The documents originally belonged to the law firm Appleby , and was first obtained by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, which called on the international consortium of investigative journalism (ICIJ) to observe the course of the study and data analysis. In Appleby declare that are not involved in the disclosure of classified information, claiming that they had a large-scale hacking of computer databases. The merged information has already been called «the Paradise Papers» («the Paradise papers»).
And opened to the public in the past Panamanian documents, the Paradise papers focused on offshore and offshore entities established by representatives of so-called global elite. According to the analysis, according to The Hill, more than 120 politicians and representatives of Royal families around the world are associated with various offshore operations. Several persons in leadership positions in the administration of trump? also included in this list.
Unexpected business relations of the Minister of trade with members of Putin’s family
According to released data, the U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross conducts business with the nearest environment of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. To be more precise, Ross has his share in shipping company Navigator Holdings, which annually earns millions of dollars transporting oil and gas for Russian energy company «SIBUR». According to data from the BBC, one of the shareholders of «SIBUR» — in-law of President Putin, Kirill Shamalov*. Neither the company, nor the main shareholder Shamalov not been subjected to sanctions from the United States. At the same time, the other two major shareholders of the company (Gennady Timchenko and Leonid Mikhelson) are under sanctions.
When the current Minister of trade joined the Cabinet of trump, he sold the shares in 80 companies. At the same time, Ross, without advertising it, has retained its stake in 9 legal entities, 4 of which experts associated with Navigator Holdings. This means that to this day, Ross continues to get a huge profit from cooperation with the Russians.
The U.S. Commerce Department has not provided any comment on the issue. However, answering the question of disclosure of documents to the ICIJ, the press Secretary Ross stated that the Minister of trade has never met son-in-law of Putin and other owners of «SIBUR» and that he personally had no interest in the Navigator at the beginning of cooperation with «SIBUR». Sam Ross from review and interview, refused, saying, according to the press Secretary that «in General supports the introduction of sanctions by the administration of the President.»
It is noteworthy that Ross can not be called a liar. Indeed, during interviews prior to the approval of the Minister in the Senate, he asked no questions about his relations with Putin and Russia, and he simply didn’t say anything.
And son-in-law again … this time trump
In addition to Ross, in Paradise and other documents appear the names of senior members of the administration and even the President’s family. Thus, the investment Fund known billionaire Yuri Milner has invested $ 850 000 to the realtor company Cadre, co-founder of which is the son of the current US President and White house adviser Jared Kushner.
In addition, the investment technology Fund Milner’s double-act as an intermediary in financial transactions between two Kremlin-controlled state organizations and the social networks Twitter and Facebook. Forbes reports that in 2011, VTB acquired shares of Twitter Inc. at 191 million dollars, and in 2012, the financial division of «Gazprom» through a front company associated with the Milner Foundation, purchased shares in another social network – Facebook, worth more than $ 1 billion.
Milner is a citizen of Russia, however, resides in the Silicon valley. About his relations with the companies Twitter, Facebook and Cadre was reported a long time ago. But the authority has intentionally or negligently not focused on it.
Offshore 13 «friends» trump…
Funny coincidence, but it was 13 names from the administration and entourage of the current President of the United States appear in «the Paradise papers». In addition to Wilbur Ross, the documents mention the name of the Secretary of state Rex Tillerson. According to the Independent, he spent 10 years owned an offshore company in Bermuda involved in the development of oil in Yemen. It turns out led them in the past, ExxonMobil has 35 subsidiaries in the Cayman, Bermuda and the Bahamas.
Offshore accounts are discovered, the Advisor to the President Thomas Barrack Jr., adviser Karl Ikana and chief economic adviser to the President Gary Cohn.
The main sponsors of the Republican party such as Geoffrey Palmer, Paul singer, Steven winn, Robert Mercer, Sheldon Adelson and the Koch brothers are also associated with offshore.
Another name for business partner companies trump seen in the dossier. This is Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone Group.
U.S. Ambassador to Russia John huntsman was one of the leaders of previously undisclosed offshore company.
The white house has not given comment on the documents disclosed.
*Ekaterina Tikhonova, wife of Kirill Shamalov, the media have long been identified as the daughter of the Russian President, but Vladimir Putin himself has not publicly acknowledged her as his daughter, although not denied this.
