The committee set up by Panama to shed light on its financial system lacks transparency, told Reuters on Friday the Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz of the economy, after having resigned.
the publication in April of more than 11.5 million documents the Panamanian firm Mossack Fonseca, the “Panama papers” revealed the financial details of numerous offshore accounts that may be used to avoid taxes.
A notoriously opaque financial system
Joseph Stiglitz and the Swiss anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth, who were among the seven members of the transparency committee convened by the country to audit its financial system, notoriously opaque report finding the government reluctant to support an investigation.
They both resigned on Friday after the refusal of Panama to ensure that the committee reports would be made public.
“I thought the government was more involved, but that’s clearly not the case,” said the American professor. “It is extraordinary how they tried to sabotage us,” he said.
“Internal Divergences”
The Panamanian government has defended the management “autonomous” of the committee in a statement regretting the departure of Stiglitz and Pieth, he attributes to the “internal differences” . He thanked both men for their recommendations and said he still attached to the “transparency and international cooperation” .
At the first committee meeting in New York 4 and 5 June, the need for a commitment from the Panamanian government to publish the results of the report was consensus, said Stiglitz and Pieth. But last week, they received a letter from the government back on that promise.
(Reuters)
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