Various effects after journalistic revelations of the Panama Papers

The identification of senior public officials who benefited from illegal operations in tax havens, 18,000 investigations into possible tax defraud, and the disappointment of the population towards the political sphere, are some of the effects of the publication of the Panama Papers, according to analysts.

Christian Viteri, an independent legislator (Andes AP), believes that “there is a before, and after” these revelations. Because without them, “thieves like Alex Bravo, Capaya and others” would not have been known, he says referring to some officials of the current Government, who have been criminally prosecuted.

Viteri believes that the publications identified “billionaire contracts awarded to friends.”

“It was a gift from the free and independent press,” he says.

But he says that the Legislature fulfilled its role “partially” and that the Prosecutor’s Office has not acted with the expected diligence. He says that the National Audit Office has submitted “conclusive” reports to the Public Prosecutor’s Office against senior officials.

Last week, the director of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Leonardo Orlando, reported that there were about 18,000 investigations involving the use of ghost companies or non-existent transactions.

University Professor Teodoro Bustamante notes that there has been a phenomenon of estrangement from the public on the political issue, after allegations contained in the Panama Papers.

He believes that the population perceives that the country has no basis for processing these claims and that there is no division of functions. Also, from within the government, there´s the desire to hide the facts, or there is no will to clarify them, so a loss of trust has been generated.