In 2014 as fighting between Ukrainian government and pro-Moscow rebels was raging, representatives of the President were looking for a bill to allow him create a holding company in the British Virgin Islands
The Panama Papers is a global investigation into the sprawling, secretive industry of offshore that the world’s rich and powerful use to hide assets and skirt rules by setting up front companies in far-flung jurisdictions.
Based on a trove of more than 11 million leaked files, the investigation exposes a cast of characters who use offshore companies to facilitate bribery, arms deals, tax evasion, financial fraud and drug trafficking.
In 2014, Moldova was forced to place three of its largest banks in special administration after $1bn went missing through a complex series of loans and contracts.