Impact
ICIJ has redefined what investigative journalism looks like in the 21st century. We have repeatedly conducted journalistic collaborations so big, so visionary and so aspirational that they are unlike any others in history.
Our Offshore Leaks, Panama Papers, Paradise Papers and FinCEN Files investigations were the biggest cross-border journalism projects ever. They have shaken the establishment and led to public protests, to multiple arrests, sweeping legal reform, and official inquiries in more than 70 countries, and to the resignations of the leaders of Pakistan, Iceland and Malta after allegations of corruption.
We helped bring about the Corporate Transparency Act in the United States, hailed as the biggest anti-corruption measure since the Patriot Act of 2001. Our work has also been credited for helping bring more than 130 countries together to sign a worldwide minimum tax rate as a measure to stop giant corporations avoiding their responsibilities.
Mar 01, 2023
Swiss bank employees indicted in connection to Russia president’s vast fortunes
The charges stem from bank accounts linked to Vladimir Putin’s childhood friend Sergei Roldugin, whose web of offshore companies was first revealed in the Panama Papers.
Oct 21, 2022
Switzerland aims to track corporate ownership in attempt to curb money-laundering
Facing international pressure to shed light on shadowy corporate ownership, government plans to reveal who actually owns legal entities.
Jul 22, 2022
Panama Papers source says ‘Russia wants me dead’ in first-ever media interview
“John Doe” told German news outlet DER SPIEGEL that he was “astounded” by the success of the investigation, but more needs to be done to clamp down on financial secrecy.
Jun 02, 2022
Putin allies Mordashov and Roldugin targeted in latest round of US sanctions
Multiple U.S. government agencies announced new restrictions on dozens of entities and assets in response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, including Putin’s close friends and allies, as well as yacht brokerages and defense industry companies.
Apr 01, 2022
Are oligarchs hiding money in US real estate? Ownership information is a missing link, research says
As lawmakers propose unmasking those purchasing New York property through LLCs, recent analysis finds shortcomings in federal oversight of money laundering in the housing market.
Jan 31, 2022
Mass prosecution forces Mossack Fonseca back into the spotlight in Panama
As an attorney for the law firm at the heart of the Panama Papers was cleared in one case, the justice department announced a money laundering trial against 32 other defendants.
Jan 06, 2022
Panama Papers wins UK’s Investigation of the Decade award
The groundbreaking 2016 investigation was selected from a shortlist of previous British Journalism Award winners from the past 10 years.
Nov 11, 2021
Germany seeks arrest of senior Panama Papers lawyer
Swiss attorney Christoph Zollinger is wanted for his role in controversial decisions by the offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca.
Jul 08, 2021
On the decline since Panama Papers, Malta punished for dirty money reputation
The tax haven is the first European Union member to be greylisted by the Financial Action Task Force, a move that ICIJ member Jacob Borg says has been a long time coming.
Jun 11, 2021
FinCEN Files investigation named Pulitzer Prize finalist
The global exposé by ICIJ and BuzzFeed News revealed how a broken U.S.-led enforcement system allows banks to continue to profit from moving trillions in dirty money.
Apr 13, 2021
Behind the scenes of the Panama Papers story that brought down Iceland’s PM
In this special fifth Panama Papers anniversary edition of Meet the Investigators, Iceland's Jóhannes Kristjansson relives an infamous TV interview and shares insights on telling stories from the heart.
Apr 13, 2021
Cyprus, Ghana and Kenya join growing list of countries to create beneficial ownership registries
The Panama Papers scandal helped create a “snowball effect” of international awareness on how anonymous corporate vehicles can enable tax evasion, corruption, and crime, advocates say.
Apr 06, 2021
Panama Papers revenue recovery reaches $1.36 billion as investigations continue
Five years after the Panama Papers were first published, authorities are still clawing back lost tax dollars and prosecuting wrongdoers exposed by the global investigation.
Apr 03, 2021
Five years later, Panama Papers still having a big impact
ICIJ’s massive cross-border investigation remains an influence — and a catchphrase — in politics, business, academia and pop culture, half a decade on.
Apr 03, 2021
The fight against offshore crime will be a long campaign
On the fifth anniversary of the Panama Papers’ launch, experts say there’s been progress in the fight against dirty money — but much more is needed.
Apr 03, 2021
From front pages to prison time: Behind the scenes of a Panama Papers criminal case
How prosecutors patiently launched criminal probes into American tax evaders and their lawyers — and why we may not have seen the last of the Panama Papers investigations.
Mar 21, 2021
Former top Malta government aide Schembri charged with corruption
Keith Schembri, who was also a prominent figure in the police probe into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, was denied bail after pleading not guilty to money laundering, corruption, fraud and forgery.
Mar 05, 2021
Secret guilty plea revealed in US Panama Papers criminal probe
Joachim Alexander von der Goltz repaid the U.S. government more than $230,000 after admitting to financial crimes revealed by the ICIJ investigation.
Feb 01, 2021
ICIJ nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for combating dark money flows
ICIJ and the Global Alliance for Tax Justice among nominees that also include Committee to Protect Journalists, Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Feb 01, 2021
Australian officials seek AU$32 million from couple flagged by Panama Papers
The Australian Tax Office obtained an order freezing 11 bank accounts and preventing the sale of three Sydney homes to stop the pair from scattering their wealth beyond authorities’ reach.
Jan 19, 2021
Seven things to watch after historic anti-money laundering overhaul in the US
The landmark legislation contains several loopholes, exemptions and shortcomings that may become key vulnerabilities in the fight against corruption and financial secrecy, advocates say.
Jan 04, 2021
Judge rejects Panama Papers law firm’s libel case against Netflix over ‘The Laundromat’
The First Amendment ruling is Mossack Fonseca’s latest legal stumble against the streaming giant.
Dec 11, 2020
Advocates celebrate major US anti-money laundering victory
The long-sought reforms, effectively ending anonymous shell companies, were included in an annual defense spending bill approved by both houses of Congress with veto-proof margins.
Oct 21, 2020
Germany seeks arrest of Panama Papers lawyers
Prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for Jürgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca, the founders of the law firm at the heart of a global investigation on the rogue offshore industry.
Oct 12, 2020
Notorious tax haven British Virgin Islands to introduce public register of company owners
The territory’s secrecy rules have long attracted criminals and secretive companies created there have featured in several ICIJ investigations on offshore finance.