Mossack and Fonseca, at the doors of the Syrian war

While legal firm Mossack Fonseca has pointed out on several occasions that it practices the 'get to know your client' policy, Hispanic network Univision, which airs in the United States, has published otherwise.
 
According to the Univision website and based on 'Panama Papers' documents, many of the clients who knocked on the doors of law firm were approved without in-depth scrutiny, despite the fact that they were subject of criminal investigations, had been convicted of various offences or were persons requiring stronger filters for their political positions.
 
"According to the journalistic investigation, in the list of beneficiaries of the structuring of companies by Mossack Fonseca, are people linked to operations of drug trafficking, laundering of assets, financial fraud, corruption, fraud and pedophilia. Also there are moguls interested in evading taxes", said the network on its website.
 
It added that this was rejected by the law firm when it was consulted by Univision.
 
Banks
 
But according to Univision, legal firm Mossack Fonseca did not work alone, but that other consortia were used to open bank accounts for their clients.
 
The analysis of 11 million documents indicated that more than 500 banks, subsidiaries and branches worked with the firm since the beginning of the 1990s, to help its clients create 15 thousand offshore companies.
 
He explained that the U.S. Bank USB created more than 1,100 companies through the firm, while bank HSBC and its affiliates created more than 2,300.
 
"12 Presidents, or former Presidents from different countries and 61 relatives or direct associates to them have been identified. So far records show 128 politicians or officials who received services from the Panamanian law firm, as well as 29 people of the Forbes magazine billionaires list", Univision said.
 
War in Syria
 
Documents reported by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists said on its website that one of the companies created by the firm was Pangates International Corporation Limited, with headquarters in the United Arab Emirates, and a specialist in petroleum products.
 
The company sold the fuel to the Syrian Government that was used by the Syrian air force and then was the target of sanctions by the United States in the so-called 'black list'.
 
For the site, the U.S. Treasury Department forbade its citizens and companies trading with Pangates International Corporation Limited.
 
The company was part of Abdul Karim Group, with offices in Damascus, and also subsidiaries of other two sanctioned companies and clients of Mossack Fonseca.
 
This is related to Maxima Middle East Trading Co. and Morgan Additives Manufacturing Co.  And other two Syrian citizens.
 
The relationship of Mossack Fonseca with company Panagates International Corporation Limited dates back to 1999, when the firm registered it in Niue, an island in the Pacific where the firm has the exclusive right to register offshore companies.
 
He also mentioned the Iranian Government company identified as Petropars Limited which the law firm registered in the Virgin Islands in 1998.
 
The company was used, according to international journalists, by Iranian politicians, with offices in Dubai and London, in order to carry out oil-related business at a time when there were sanctions against Iran.
 
After that, there was a scandal in the Persian nation by shady businesses that were allegedly undertaken by their managers with the oil business, said the website.
 
The journalists also reported that firm Mossack Fonseca has worked with at least 33 companies that were included in the "black list" of the Department of the Treasury of United States.
 
The companies were sanctioned for having relations with terrorism, drug trafficking or links with Governments enemies to the United States such as Iran and North Korea.
 
Convicted Mexican narco Rafael Caro Quintero is mentioned.