Judge dismisses all charges in Panama Papers, Operation Car Wash cases
June 29 (UPI) -- A Panamanian court acquitted all 28 people charged with money laundering connection with the Panama Papers and Operation Carwash scandals.
On Friday in Panama City, Judge Baloisa Marquínez declared the evidence considered by the court did not meet due process and was "not sufficient" to prove criminality, ending the trial that began in April
Among those exonerated were Jurgen Mossack and the late Ramon Fonseca, the founders of Mossack Fonseca, the now-shuttered law firm at the center of the scandal.
During the trial, prosecutors sought the maximum sentence of 12 years for money laundering for Mossack and Fonseca.
Fonseca died during the trial and was cleared of charges in May.
The Panama Papers represent the largest data breach in history. More than 11 million Mossack Fonesca documents were leaked to German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in 2016.
Mossack Fonseca in 2017 said it was the victim of a computer hack and that the leaked information was being misinterpreted.
The documents allegedly exposed a clandestine network of the world's richest and most powerful people using tax havens to hide their wealth.
The papers referenced 12 current and former world leaders and 128 politicians and public figures.
The names of British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Argentinian football star Lionel Messi were allegedly referenced in the papers.
The 85-hour-long trial included three prosecutors and 18 defense lawyers. The judge heard from 27 witnesses and saw over 50 pieces of evidence.
"While the court did not hold these defendants accountable, the enduring impact of our investigation persists," ICIJ's executive director Gerard Ryle said in a statement. "By revealing hidden truths, as we did in the Panama Papers, we empower the public with information they need to demand accountability and push for reforms."
Operation Carwash was a money laundering investigation into Brazilian oil company Petrobras. The defendants in that case were acquitted because the income of money from illicit sources could not be determined, according to a court statement.
