Does Anyone Care About the Pandora Papers?

By Charles Lenchner

Yesterday we published the original reporting about the Pandora Papers – a treasure trove of leaked documents about the rich and powerful evading taxes. The story itself has appeared all over the place (New York Times, The Guardian, Democracy Now!) but much of the impact will be felt more strongly in smaller, poorer countries with unaccountable leaders.

One example is King Abdullah II of Jordan purchasing over $100 million in luxury properties around the world. As Deutsche Welle put it, “Though probably not illegal, they are still at odds with the government’s declared principles of financial transparency.” Combine that with the high level of repression in Jordan, the public’s lack of trust in its own government, and censorship of news about the Pandora Papers revelations, and it’s clear how information like this is profoundly destabilizing.

In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky is known for promising to tackle that country’s infamous corruption. But the Pandora Papers tell a different story. We’re likely to see more shock waves around the world as a result of the information leaked. While our own political shenanigans are crowding out international news, we’ll stay on this story.