Panamanian authorities raided the global headquarters of Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the center of a massive documents leak scandal.
The objective of the raid Tuesday was to look for documents “related to news reports establishing the possible use of the firm for illegal activities,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement.
The Panama leak scandal has implicated several world leaders, and exposed the dark world of offshore companies.
Authorities began a “visual inspection” about 6 p.m. ET and will continue into Wednesday, said Sandra Sotillo, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office.
“They will analyze the documents to see if there is any indication of a crime,” Sotillo said.
Mossack Fonseca said it’s cooperating with authorities in the investigation at its headquarters.
Another raid
Just this week, authorities in Peru also raided the law firm’s offices in Lima.
The Panama Papers are the colloquial name for what may be the largest document leak in history — a total of 11 million emails, documents and client records. The information contained in the papers alleges that Mossack Fonseca may have helped people around the globe set up shell companies and offshore accounts.
The documents implicate scores of world leaders, politicians and celebrities.
Ramon Fonseca, co-founder of the firm, has said the information published about the company was false. In a statement, the firm said it had done nothing wrong, and the reports would create confusion about offshore finance.
Panama’s Office of the Attorney General and its Organized Crime Division, the Institute of Digital Forensics, the Judicial Investigation Bureau and the National Police all took part in the raid.