[man] First of all, there are some things you should know before we begin.
[man 2] For instance, we are real people, just like you.
[man] Secondly, we did not write a word of this.
To be perfectly frank,
we would have preferred all of this remain a secret.
[man 2] But we had no choice in the matter.
We just woke up one day and everything changed.
[man] There were stories about us everywhere:
TV, newspapers, and the internet.
[man 2] And now it is our turn to tell a few stories.
Think of them as fairy tales that actually happened.
[man] Don't worry, these stories are not just about us.
They're also about you.
[man 2] And how is that possible?
[man] Because all these stories are about money.
[man 2] The idea of money. The necessity of money.
The secret life of money.
[man] Before money, there was only the barter system.
You tried to trade what you had or you could do for what you needed.
You have bananas, but you need a cow.
I have a cow, but I hate bananas.
So, as you can imagine, there was a limit to this system.
Bananas turn brown over time and cows can, you know, wander away.
So an agreed-upon medium of exchange was needed.
What is a medium of exchange?
- Well, it could be a... a nugget of gold. - [grunting]
Or some other shiny rocks that are generally found to be scarce.
It could be a... a slip of paper
- with words on it... - Aah!
...or pictures of powerful people.
And if you read those words,
you will see that they are arranged into a promise of value.
[grunting]
[chuckles]
- Slips of paper... - [phone alert]
...which you cannot peel and eat, and do not give milk
are what we all agreed to call "money."
And these slips gave birth to many other pieces of paper
- with more writing on them. - [grunting and gasping]
And some of those words, they told the story of credit.
Oh, stay with us now, this is important.
Credit is an invention that meant you no longer needed to carry around, uh,
millions of bananas on slips of paper.
So, you now have something invisible, credit,
standing in for something tangible, a cow.
Credit said that even if you didn't have
all the bananas you need for what you want,
you could borrow bananas
from the future.
So, credit is just the future tense of the language of money.
Speaking of the future...
[man] Uh, things have gotten a little more complicated.
Actually, a lot more complicated.
There is more money than ever before.
Our money has more names than ever before.
[shouting] Commodities, loans, stocks, and bonds.
Funds and funds of funds.
Futures, equity, derivatives, securitized debt,
shorts and margin calls.
Financial instruments.
Words.
- Invisible. - [laughs]
Abstract.
Very different from cows.
[gentle piano music playing]
[humming]
Morning has broken.
- [man] Morning. - Mwah!
- Come on, buddy. - What time is it?
It's time.
[clears throat] Did you remember to take all your...
Yes!
- You didn't even let me finish. - I took them, I took everything.
- Big fat liar. - I'm not.
You know, they're not gonna wait for us, Joe.
Okay, yeah.
- So... - I can't do the laces.
- You can have this. I'll take this off. - No, I'm all right.
- I think it's gonna warm up. - Oh, look. They haven't left yet.
- No, no, we're all right. - [chuckling] Oh, gosh.
We're all right.
If they ask about it.
- They'll save a place for us. - Yeah.
- You think? - Yeah.
- There they are. - Drop a line in.
What would you catch?
- Oh, here's Barb. Hi. - Probably an old boot.
- Hey. Sorry. - The line's movin', it's okay.
Tryin' to move him out is like, you know...
Yep.
All right. Yeah, that's great. I'm glad. I didn't remember.
- Shall we let them go, or... - Uh...
That's it.
- Careful on this thing, it gets tricky. - Yeah, it gets a little slippery.
- Okay. - Thank you.
Honey?
Yeah? Oh, look, a place. Oh.
- Oh, and leg room.. - Yeah.
...to boot.
Sweet.
[boat engine whirring]
Good afternoon, Trenton travelers.
This is Richard Paris.
I'll be your captain here on historic Lake George.
We got a magnificent fall day, so sit back and relax and enjoy the view.
[Joe's wife] Posh seats, huh?
- No. - [chuckles]
Hey, you know where the word "posh" comes from?
- Do you know, Barb? - No idea, El.
Oh, is this one of your crossword puzzle things
- or a fun fact off a calendar? - [El laughs] Go on, tell her.
The posh seats on a boat, the good seats,
were called that because when cruises went from England to Africa,
if you were sitting on the port side on the way there, you saw land.
Yeah, and when you would go back, you'd want to sit on the starboard side,
so that you're not lookin' out at nothing all day.
Port Out, Starboard Home.
P-O-S-H. It's... It's a... an acronym.
[El] Yeah.
Boy, you guys sure know a lot of trivia.
Well, you weren't just staring at nothing.
I... I mean, if you had eyes at all, you'd be looking at something.
Maybe clouds or whales, but something.
Maybe.
All right, comin' up on your right-hand side
just a couple meters beneath the surface
is the Sunken Fleet of 1758.
- [woman] Oh, that's what that is. - British soldiers stationed on the lake
sank over 260 vessels to keep them
- from being captured by the French. - [woman] Amazing it's lasted.
Captain?
Ah, shit, where did that come from?
[yelling and screaming]
[man] Whoa!
[rising screaming]
[silence]
[creaking]
Ellen and Joe went on their honeymoon in Niagara Falls
and they were on their way back there the day we lost Joe.
His dear friend Norm Sidley told me that Joe had a ruby pendant in his pocket
that he planned to give to Ellen at the Falls,
because a 40th anniversary...
is ruby,
a stone of uncommon beauty.
And Joe Martin was just as rare.
The common man has become anything but that.
Men who love their wives without stopping.
Men who are there for their children without fail.
Men who pay their taxes and shovel their neighbor's walk.
Men who drive the speed limit, even when there's nobody there to watch them.
This is the 14th of 21 funerals
that this tragedy has visited upon our community.
Each one sharpening the pain of our shared loss.
So... So, what happens next? What do we do next?
[man] Well, uh, Shoreline Cruises, like most of these outfits,
they have insurance for accidents and such.
And that involves filing a claim, which they have done with the carrier.
So basically, they drowned Joe and 20 other innocent people,
and you can get insurance for that?
[Ellen chuckles]
You know, Gwen Musgrave says that she can still feel Bucky Mecklenberg's actual hand
on her leg, pullin' it, tryin' to get up to the surface to get the air.
You know, she feels it in the middle of the night, just layin' there.
Drowning man's hand on her leg. Whew.
What kind of compensation is there for that?
Well, Shoreline is tellin' me that they bought a policy from one company
and then they were reinsured through another company.
But I'm expecting a settlement offer in the mid-seven figures as a start.
Here's what they're saying.
- Who? - United.
I thought our insurance was through that firm Monarch.
It was. Uh...
We did. Well, actually, GPOA.
And what's that?
Global Property Owners Association. That's who insured this place.
And they insured the boat as well.
- So what's Monarch? - [sighs]
GPOA became Monarch.
But now this guy, Mr. Purser,
is saying that Monarch itself is insured by... by a firm called, uh, United.
So United takes over the policy from Monarch.
So United is gonna pay.
That's the thing. We got this note saying,
"The money you have already saved on your insurance
is nothing in comparison to having an accident with one of your boats
while operating them on the lake, where they have no coverage.
I strongly urge you to reconsider the quote
for marine liability and hull coverage on your entire fleet.
I realize that you know the lake much better than we do
and you have never had an accident before, but this is our recommendation to you."
No coverage? Who said that?
Purser at Monarch.
But I thought you said Monarch is United.
Right, it is.
And Monarch is saying that our policy expired be...
before the accident,
so United is off the hook.
Jesus.
You let it lapse?
- No. No, I... - And we're gonna be exposed here?
- Us personally? - No. It's not true...
Rich.
[phone rings]
[woman] You gonna answer?
[man] What area code is 518? You know?
- [woman] Europe? - [phone continues ringing]
[man] It's not Europe. Europe have different numbers.
[woman] If you answered, you could ask.
You didn't sign these, Irvin.
These were supposed to be sent back to Mossack Fonseca days ago.
RDPS Trading, TEP Consulting, Wilkinson Systems Limited.
You need to be signing where it says "Director" on all of these.
I need to fax these back to Panama by the end of the day.
Irvin!
[Irvin sighs]
That's $15 a signature, sweetie.
Also, Christopher Purser called from Houston,
said there's a problem with the Monarch-United arrangement.
What kinda problem?
Boat sank in New York.
Twenty-one people died. He wants to know what to do.
You want me to get him on the phone?
Hey, this is Matthew Quirk calling for Mr. Boncamper.
Uh, my lawyer says you're the nominee director for United Reinsurance.
I filed an accident claim for Shoreline Cruises
and I need to speak with you as soon as possible.
My number is area code 518...
Shit.
I got some bad news.
A very unfortunate turn of events.
Mr. Purser, who sold us the policy down in Houston
is, um... under investigation
by some sort of professional oversight organization there in Texas.
He's not allowed to sell insurance anymore.
Ever. The IRS is involved.
There were gyms with claims and, uh, nursing homes with claims.
We're not the only ones.
Uh, they said, "Get in line." [chuckles]
I was tryin' to save some money, Rich.
And they were cheaper. Monarch was... they were much cheaper.
We were expanding the restaurant and buying a second boat.
[Rich] Matty, they're gonna come after us, aren't they?
I can't sleep at night. Um...
I have dreams about those people.
Faces floating up in the waves, bodies washin' up on the beach.
Beach by my house.
Maybe we could try to settle with 'em.
Of course, we... Of course, we want to settle.
We are hat in hand here, Rich.
Hat in hand, wanting to settle with the best of intentions.
[gentle jazz plays]
- What do you think? - Let's go!
- Whoo! - Whoa!
I know! Automatic! [laughs]
- Sometimes I get lost. Okay... - This way?
- All the way down there. - [child] Whoo!
There, right to the elevator.
- Good boy. - Oh, wow.
- Whoa! - [laughing]
- Waah-oooh! - Whoo! [laughing]
- I'm gonna catch you! - No, you're not!
- Oh, Mom, this is so great. - I know.
Think your dad would approve?
- He'd love it, Mom. - [boy] Come on!
- [girl] Oh, no! - I think so too.
Hey, kids, come here, come here. Look.
- Can you see the Eiffel Tower? - What?
- Can you see it? - Yeah.
It looks like Paris, France.
- Wait. - Can you see? Kaylen, look.
They light it up all night long. It's so pretty.
But here's the best, best, best part.
Can you see by the palm tree?
- Oh, yes, I can. - Yeah.
Years ago, there was a guy there who could write your name on a grain of rice.
- What? - For 25 cents.
- That's a bargain. - I know.
- Whoa. - And...
that corner is the corner where I met your grandfather.
- Oh. - [clears throat]
He was here for a tire convention,
and I was here 'cause my girlfriend's bachelorette party.
And he took me to see Diana Ross at Caesars.
How he got those tickets...
Although he did tell me later that he stole 'em
- out of his boss's briefcase. - [giggling]
- [gasps] - Which is bad. [chuckles]
But he said that he knew her from Detroit.
He sold her tires.
This is one of the Supremes. I don't think so.
Anyway, she came out onstage and he said,
"The most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my whole life."
But then he leaned over to me and he said, "Except for you."
- Aw. - Was he kidding?
Oh! "Was he kidding?"
[laughing]
So, I was supposed to drive back to Sacramento with Connie, but I didn't.
I stayed the whole weekend, 'cause it was Labor Day weekend.
And we, uh... we went to the Jerry Lewis muscular dystrophy telethon,
saw that live.
We went and got mai tai after mai tai after mai tai.
What's a mai tai?
[Ellen] Oh, that's a Hawaiian fertility drug, honey.
- [chuckles] - Mom.
Your mom was conceived under a paper umbrella
when we were $68 up at slots.
Yeah! [laughing loudly]
Okay, listen, kids, why don't you put your swimsuits on?
- There is a pool on the roof. - Really?
- Yeah. - Oh, my goodness.
- Pool, here I come. - Pool, here I come.
[girl] Whoo!
- Mrs. Martin? - [Ellen] Yeah?
- Hi, Hannah! - Hi...
- This is my daughter, Melanie. - Hi.
- Did you get my message? - And my grandkid...
- What? No, what me... - I left you a message.
Oh. Well, I've been so busy with the yard sale and the packing and the...
I'm not sure my mom knows how to check her messages.
I've been stayin' with her out in Denver, so...
Hey, let me... Kids, come here. I want you to meet somebody.
- This is... - Hello!
...Kaylen! And this is Thalia.
- Hello! - Ah.
She is a great butterfly swimmer.
Mwah!
[Melanie] Olympic hopeful.
Bet you got your swimsuit on
- underneath that shirt, don't you? - Yeah!
[Kaylen] Pick me up!
Do you... Do you just... I'd like to speak to you for a minute.
- If we could just... - Oh, sure, sure.
Okay, we're gonna go swimming soon.
- Here, wait here. - Mom, I wanna go swimming.
- Let's play I Spy. What do you see? - [Kaylen] Me too.
- What do you see? - [Thalia] I spy something blue.
This unit's been sold.
- What? - Not to you.
Well, where... Can't I... Wh...
What's the word? Counter? Counter. Can't I even counter?
They paid double the asking price. In cash.
And they bought three units that they want to combine.
So what do I... What happens to me?
Well, I have a wonderful one-bedroom Bristol.
It has Italian marble everywhere.
- I don't care about marble. - I could show you. It'd be great.
No, I don't care. I just want to look out and see Joe.
- Joe? - I want to look out and see my corner.
Well, okay. I don't have anything facing that direction,
but I do have a three-bedroom Hennessey facing north.
- It's gorgeous. - No.
- I could show you that? - No.
- No, not north. - It's really wonderful.
- I could... - Fuck north. No.
I am puttin' down the settlement money from the accident.
I look out there and I see him smilin' at me,
holdin' two tickets.
You see who?
Two tickets to the rest of my life.
I walk around Detroit, I see him reachin' up for dead leaves in a lake. [gasps]
[groans]
If these people, whoever they are, if they knew...
I could explain it to 'em.
- There are so many places they could live. - I can't give you their name, by law.
- [sighs] - Maybe you could talk to their lawyer.
[gasps] That's right. I could write 'em a letter.
That wouldn't be an invasion of anybody's privacy.
- I can't give you their name. - Or if I could just talk to 'em.
- Why? - Privacy.
Cash. Who pays cash?
[whispers] Russians.
Aren't we going swimming?
- [laughs sadly] - Aren't we going swimming?
Mom, what's wrong? What did she say?
[sighs]
- You okay, Grandma? - Mom, what is it?
- Yes, I'm fine. - Are you sure?
[men speaking Russian]
- Grandma, can I go to the pool? - [Hannah speaks Russian]
Wait a second.
- [Hannah speaks Russian] - Nice to see you again.
[man speaks Russian]
You guys, you go on down. I'll meet you in the lobby.
[Hannah] I just saw your email with the paperwork attached.
[man] You have worked with offshore entities before?
[Hannah] Of course.
[man 2] Yeah, we did the same thing in New York when we bought there.
- Helps us with taxes and other things. - [man 1] Oooh!
- Amazing! - [man 2] Now we're cooking.
- [man 1] That's great, Hannah. Incredible! - [Hannah] I have all three on ho...
[door closes]
["Judas" by The Charlatans playing]
So, how does it all work, this world of offshore companies?
And how do you know if it is for you?
First of all, you must ask yourself, are you wealthy?
There are just over two thousand billionaires on planet Earth.
Maybe you are one of them, or maybe you are just a millionaire.
There are 15 million of them in the world.
Perhaps you are older now and it's time to contemplate your legacy.
Or maybe you are younger and building an empire like our friends here.
Your ambitions lead you to a place that deals with money.
For instance, a bank. A big bank.
Probably in Europe.
And you find yourself sitting across a desk from a wealth manager,
a financial advisor, a banker.
You lay out your fears. Income tax, state tax,
inheritance tax, capital gains taxes.
Your advisor understands your concerns
and suggests you set up an offshore company,
where your assets will be safe from scrutiny.
And that's where we come in.
Now, we supply you with a shell company, which holds your assets.
You are not the company, even if the company is you.
Confused yet? We give this entity a name.
Uh...
"New Century Enterprises," perhaps.
You don't need office space. You don't need employees.
Exists on paper only.
And what does this company make? What goods or services does it supply?
Privacy.
It's nothing more than an email address and a post-office box in a country
where the laws are favorable to your financial goals.
And where can you find such a country?
Usually in the middle of the ocean.
Maybe the Seychelles or Cyprus or Tortola or...
I know it's not what you were expecting.
Well, none of this is expected.
Take the money, El.
Sign the release.
Joe took really good care of you with his life insurance.
That and the settlement...
Just take a trip.
- [sighs] - Miss some winter.
Go somewhere that you always wanted.
[man sighs]
I mean, the damn insurance company is the problem here.
You know, I just don't... I don't understand
how they can just walk away from any of this.
The United Reinsurance Group of Nevis.
[sighs] They're the ones gettin' away with murder.
Where in the world is Nevis?
[scoffs] I don't know. Does it matter?
[sighs]
[jaunty flute music begins]
[jaunty flute music continues]
Where's Boncamper?
- Miss, you can't... Oh, my God! - Where is he? I want him!
[screaming]
Where's Boncamper?
Where is he?
[people whimpering]
[beeping]
[woman on P.A.] Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Nevis.
The local time is approximately 2:45 p.m.
[woman] There is no Global Property Owners Association,
and there is no Monarch.
Never really was.
How is any of this possible?
Purser backdated the letter to make it look like he sent it before the accident
so he wouldn't have to pay.
What about United? Um...
- They said United reinsured Monarch. - No United, either.
It's just a scam that goes from Houston to the West Indies to Panama
to some bank, who knows where.
Looks like an 18 US code 1343, or 49.
I'm sorry, 1340-what?
Fraud.
All I did wrong was try and save money.
I tried to buy what I needed for less.
That, and I...
I trusted someone in...
Houston.
Is there even a Boncamper?
Oh, yeah.
There's a Boncamper.
[woman] How long this time?
[Irvin] Not sure.
Three days. Maybe five.
Clients coming in from Europe.
Oh.
Can I go?
It's not vacation, Rich.
If I bring you, I end up spending all the money I make on the damn plane ticket.
Come on, Dad, we can go to the uni.
[chuckles]
You... You think I can afford University Miami?
You go there like every month, no?
Why don't we get an apartment?
In-state tuition is not that much.
Oh, you know about the laws, do you?
Mm?
I do.
I know all the residency laws. That's what accountants know.
Laws and taxes and banking.
What do you know, eh?
Basketball shoes?
He want to see the world.
Learn more about what you do.
Maybe he can go into business with you one day.
Let him come along and watch you at work, Irvin.
Hmph. [tuts]
Excuse me, sir. Sir? Can you help me?
I'm lookin' for 556 Main Street.
Yeah? The post office, in here.
No, I'm looking for the United Reinsurance Group,
which is 556 Main Street.
- Un... United, you say? - Yeah.
- Mm-hm. - I... I... I... I think...
I... I think you must have written down the wrong address.
No, no, I looked it up. It's United Reinsurance.
They reinsure, uh, pleasure cruises and I'm sure other things, but...
I'm actually looking for a man called Bonca... Boncamper.
[coughs]
I don't know him.
[girl] Daddy!
Mr. Boncamper?
Yes.
Director of the United Reinsurance Group of Nevis?
Oh, my God, watch your sisters. Excuse me!
Ma'am. Excuse me, ma'am.
- Can you step away? - I am his goddamn wife. Leave me alone.
- Irvin. - Vincelle Boncamper?
Edith.
Who the hell is Vincelle? You people don't even know who he is.
Irvin?
Yeah. Edith?
Can we speak privately for a moment?
This woman, this is Vincelle Boncamper.
- Your husband's other wife. - What?
Mr. Boncamper has another family. They live in Nevis.
You motherfucker!
Get your hands off of me! You are dead!
Gimme my kids.
- Let's get him out of here. Let's go. - Dear?
[P.A.] Final boarding call for American flight 1307 to Lima,
now departing at gate J-5.
[knocking]
[woman] Excuse me. Mr. Mossack?
Yes?
Do you know the name Malchus Irvin Boncamper?
I'm not sure.
Is it a real name?
Yes, sir. It's a very real name.
How might I know it?
He's from Nevis.
It's a lovely island.
He was arrested at Miami International Airport.
I think he's going to go to jail.
I see.
Well, maybe you'll tell me how well do we know Mr. Boncamper?
He's director of 46 different Mossack Fonseca companies.
The Prague offices use him quite a bit.
Well, we will want to change that.
Change that now?
Can't really go back in time. He's all over the books.
Well, some people believe that time is just an illusion.
That all moments are the same moment.
I think it might be bad for us to do something like that.
Bad? [chuckles]
[sighs] "Bad" is...
It's such a big word
for being such a small word.
[man] You did... You did what?
I went to the... [sighs] Clark County Registrar to get the name of the buyer.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
And I found out it's a company.
New Century Enterprises of Panama.
Wait, I thought you said it was Russia.
- Russians with cash. - No, that's what Hannah told me.
- Hannah who? - She's the realtor with the tight dresses.
Anyway, I looked up New Century Enterprises,
and turns out it's controlled by a trust, something called a trust.
- A trust is like a fiduciary agreement... - I know what a trust is.
- A third party can... Okay. - I know what a trust is, I know...
So the director of both New Century and the trust...
- [sighs] - ...is a woman.
A woman named Mia Beltran.
Mia Bel... Okay, is that a name that I should know?
[laughing] Well, she is obviously very powerful.
She is the director of numerous companies.
- All her companies... - [sighs]
...are registered to the same law firm,
in Panama.
Mossack and Fonseca.
[murmur of voices]
Our database shows that you are
the director of New Century Enterprises?
I am, sir, yes.
They have purchased multiple properties in Las Vegas.
I need these signed, immediately.
[woman] Moussaka Fusaka?
Oh, wait.
Is that the new goalie for the Red Wings? Canadian kid?
No, no, no. No. No. It's not a who. It's a law firm.
In Panama. Okay?
They even have a motto: "The wealth management you deserve."
I read that. I... I looked it up.
And our readers need to know about them why?
As far as I can see, what they do is they set up companies.
Uh, not real companies like a hotel or a... hardware store.
They... They set up, uh, what they call a "shell", and they sell shells.
Not actual shells.
I'm... I'm sorry, you lost me. I...
[clears throat] When there's an accident, like the one that took Joe and Barb,
there's nobody that we can hold accountable.
There's nobody that we can, uh...
ask questions, and... and... and find out what happens next, you know?
It's just, uh...
just empty shells.
You see? It's just empty. It's just shells.
That's the story? Empty shells?
Oh, no, no, the story is somebody died!
And somebody's making money from it, maybe lots of people.
Right?
That's why we brought it to you. Somebody has to sound the alarm.
W... We like to focus on stories that are closer to home.
Where did you say this company is located again?
Panama.
Like the hat.
[speaking Spanish] Jesus Christ, fix the goddamn roads. Fuck.
Is it the road or bus that has to be fixed?
Both.
[sighing]
[door creaking open]
Seems like we're not going anywhere.
You can get off.
Let's go.
[passengers grumbling]
[rattling]
[crackling]
[people yelling in Spanish]
She was the director of 25,000 companies.
- Mia Beltran. - [Mossack] Scheiße.
Now we need 25,000 forms changing the director of these companies.
[woman] Mossack Fonseca. How may I direct your call, please?
Oh, hello.
Yes, I would like to speak with Mr. Mossack, please.
- Spanish. - Por favor.
No, he is in a meeting now. Not taking calls.
- He's meeting. - Ask for the other one.
Um... OK... May I speak with Mr. Fonseca, please?
He is in a meeting now too. Same meeting. Maybe if I take a message...
Uh, this is Ellen Martin.
I am the widow of Joe Mart...
- I don't know what kind of outfit... - [clears throat]
...those men are running down there, with all these meetings and what have you,
- but I was... - Give me a moment.
Okay, you know... Okay. Here's the message.
Congratulations, Elena. You've been promoted.
- ... pain and suffering... - What?
- Mm-hm. - ...they cause...
- Oh, my God. I am so sorry, I have to go. - ...in Michigan...
- Hello? - [chuckles]
Wow.
- I told you. I told you. - [Melanie] What?
- They hang up on you. - Hello?
- They hang up on you. - [sighs]
Okay, let's try again.
Here are some forms.
You just sign on the line. Your name. Understand?
No... No entiendo.
Sign with your name. Here. That's all.
- All of them? - Yes, all of them.
But what... I don't know what it is I'm signing.
They're just some forms.
Just, on each one.
Oh, okay.
- Thank you. - Okay.
[clears throat]
So how did I end up here in Panama?
I don't look Latin to you.
Not like my... my partner, Ramón.
Well, like many Germans, my father, Erhard,
moved us here after the Second World War.
Er, why? Ah, you may ask.
My, uh, my father taught me the...
the value of, uh, privacy from an early age.
I was... I was a good student.
I went to law school, got a job working in a large firm.
I excelled.
But very soon, I felt like all the other sheep,
uh, every day obediently going to work
and never leaving a mark.
So I started, uh my own firm.
And, uh, one day, I... I... I met a very impressive attorney
who had recently left the employ of the United Nations.
[speaking Spanish]
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek.
He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.
Isaiah sixty-one: one.
Father Hector Gallego said that to me when I was, ah, 16.
The theology of liberation is what the Catholics called it.
The meek.
They were supposed to inherit the earth.
Doesn't seem it worked out that way to me.
Father Gallego, up there, was kidnapped and killed by the army
for causing problems in Panama.
He's gone.
But the meek,
they're still around.
So I went to law school instead.
I thought, uh, maybe the meek needed a better lawyer.
Now, in 1972, I went to work for the United Nations.
I wanted to save the world.
Saving the world,
as it turns out, is very hard, you know?
Long hours, bad pay, and perhaps the world does not want to be saved.
Inside all of us, there are packs of wolves,
some flocks of sheep roaming through our thoughts.
We want to be fair, and yet, we want to win.
We want to be righteous, but we want to get ahead.
- Such is our struggle. - [animal bleating]
Uh, at some point, you decide
it might just be easier to save yourself.
So, I became a lawyer for the not-so-meek.
And that's about the time I met Jürgen Mossack.
From our humble beginnings,
Mossack Fonseca grew to have offices in over 50 countries,
servicing over 240,000 offshore companies,
foundations, and trusts.
Located in places like the British Virgin Islands,
the Bahamas, Cyprus, Samoa, Nui, Nevada.
Uh, places that are... are not blessed with natural resources or industry.
So, what do all of those companies do?
Most of the time, we don't even know.
[knock at door]
Excuse me. Mr. Mossack?
Yes?
There is a... There is a company that we set up in Costa Rica.
- Are you familiar? - [sighs]
It owns a number of assets, real estate.
Mm. And?
Uh, so, yeah, the government of Costa Rica
wants to take back one of the homes for their Olympic team or...
Has the, uh, beneficial owner instructed us to do so?
Yeah, the beneficial owner is a Mexican man.
They say he is in jail.
[gasps] Aah!
[UB40] ♪ Red, red wine ♪
- ♪ Goes to my head ♪ - You know, Neil Diamond wrote this.
[glass clinking]
- Yeah. - Seriously?
- Yeah. - When?
I don't know. Would've been sometime before this.
This doesn't sound like Neil Diamond.
I know. It's his mastery of...
♪ Red, red wine ♪
...different styles of music.
- He can pull off everything. - Huh!
- Neil Diamond. - Yeah.
I never woulda guessed that.
Hey, you wanna get outta here?
Uh, yeah, I just wanna hit el baño first.
- Do I tip him? - Uh...
- Yeah. - Yeah. Okay.
[knocking]
♪ Life is fine ♪
♪ Every time ♪
Oh, uh, sorry, amigos. Ju... Lookin' for el baño?
[Mossack] Oh! Pablo Escobar is like a...
child nursing at his mother's tit compared to this man.
I don't want to be one of those people he visits when he gets out of jail.
May... Maybe it's better if he keeps his house!
- Keeps his house and... - Oh, no, I mean...
What? Wh... Wh... What?
You... You think we know everyone we created a company for?
Huh? [panting]
Did we happen to mention we are in this for the money?
- Mm. - Yeah.
Are some of our clients criminals?
Or drug lords, uh, sex traffickers, gun runners,
uh, destroyers of the planet?
[Fonseca] No, like I said, we would prefer not to know.
- Mm-hm. - [sighs] And remember,
before we created a company for them,
a lawyer sent them to us.
Yeah, and before that, a... a banker sent them to the lawyer!
[Fonseca] To be fair, many of our clients are upstanding citizens.
[Mossack] This man, Charles, for example.
He is a legitimate business man with a loving family.
[Fonseca] His daughter is graduating from university,
and we helped him create a trust for her.
[Mossack] Shouldn't Charles have access to all the financial instruments available
to help him and his loved ones?
[Fonseca] He would never dream of breaking the law.
We really don't see a problem here.
[Mossack] The only thing Charles is guilty of
is taking good care of his wife and his daughter.
But you never see that in the headline.
♪ And I ain't paid my rent this month ♪
♪ I owe that ♪
♪ But fuck who you want And fuck who you like ♪
♪ Dance all ya life There's no end in sight ♪
♪ Twinkle, twinkle, little star ♪
♪ Now everybody, let me hear you say Ray, ray, ray ♪
♪ And spend all your money 'Cause today payday ♪
♪ And if you a G, you a G-G-G ♪
♪ My name is Onika You can call me Nicki ♪
♪ Get on the floor, floor ♪
♪ Like it's your last chance ♪
♪ If you want more, more ♪
♪ Then here I am ♪
♪ Starships are meant to fly ♪
♪ Hands up and touch the sky ♪
[chuckles]
How do you like your headphones?
- What? - Don't drop those in the water.
They're not waterproof?
They're gold.
Is gold waterproof?
[laughs]
What are you listening to?
A song.
What kind of music do you like? Play me somethin'.
[jazz plays]
- Hm-hm! - [laughs]
- Mmm! - Ooh!
- Oh! - Mm!
- ♪ Love for sale ♪
You don't know about this type of music. [chuckles]
[loud hip-hop playing from speakers]
Hey, it's Astrid.
Can't get to the phone 'cause I'm having fun.
Leave me a message. Bye.
- [beep] - Oh, hey, hey, As!
So, I decided to skip class 'cause you know we are graduating!
Anyway, I just stopped by my parents' house before my mom gets in,
so call me, babe.
Okay, bye. Bye.
[sports commentary on TV]
Astrid?
♪ Old love, new love ♪
♪ Every love but true love ♪
[laughter]
- ♪ Every kind of love for sale ♪ - [grunting]
What the actual fuck?
- [chuckles] - Be careful, huh?
♪ Love for sale ♪
[grunts]
[sobbing]
I... I'm sure you have questions for me.
- Simone. - My roommate?
I didn't mean for this to happen.
You fucking creep. Yeah, I bet Mum didn't either.
I'd like to speak to your mother before you do.
- I think that's best for everyone. - Yeah, 'cause you're the expert on that.
On what's best.
Why can't we agree that I will speak to her before you do?
[sobs] Why don't you go and stay in my dorm room with Astrid
and get the hell away from me?
- [man] Bruno Mars is here. - [woman] What?
- No way, seriously? - [man] So...
Just head into the house, through those doors,
- to the back yard. - Thank you.
- Thank you so much. - All right, welcome.
Straight to the back yard.
I was not expecting this.
Guys, you have no idea.
- Right? - Yeah, I'm just dying to meet him.
- Hey, where are you going? - I'm going back to Africa.
Okay, Marcus Garvey, slow down. You're not doing that.
Yes, I am.
Your mother's been looking forward to this for a long time.
Has she?
How long has she been looking forward to learning you've been banging my roommate?
Her whole life, I bet. It's like a dream come true.
- I'll meet her at the airport. - Okay, stop.
Not another word.
You graduate this weekend from an American university.
How many children from our country get to come here?
You take your summers in Ibiza. And Croatia and Monaco, not in a factory.
You have a $100,000 car in the driveway.
You have a job waiting for you in Cape Town,
or in Paris, or wherever you want it to be.
Your life, your whole world up until this moment,
was more or less perfect.
Except for the time we had to put down your horse
when it fell jumping over a steeple.
This is adulthood.
Welcome.
It's filled with disappointments and negotiations.
I cannot change the past.
But I am happy to negotiate with you about the future.
What does that mean?
How much?
Excuse me?
How much money do you want to go to the party
and not tell your mother about Astrid?
[scoffs] You're kidding.
- [sniffles] - Am I? How much?
You go to the party, you don't tell your mother,
and I continue to see Astrid.
- [laughs] - I'm getting her an apartment in New York.
- This is so fucked up. - No.
This is how problems are solved.
What's fucked up is your inability to see that.
How much?
I wanna talk to a lawyer.
Great. Mine's on his way over now. We can both talk to him.
First of all, congratulations, Simone. Graduation.
Fuck you, Jeff.
Simone has announced today that she wants to "ruin me".
Well, as the family lawyer,
I would like to see matters settled
in a way that is to everyone's satisfaction.
- I know your father feels the same way. - I do.
Yeah, now, your dad has already opened up a trust in your name,
so to keep things simple,
this is a further assignment of assets to that trust.
A graduation present of sorts.
In addition to the party.
- Does that make sense to you? - [phone alert]
Hm.
Mum's plane's gonna be early.
Maybe I should go and get her and we can discuss this all together
like one big, happy family.
There's a company I own.
Whitecloud Enterprises.
I would like to give it to you.
Jeff, tell her what it's worth.
Whitecloud is worth almost 20 million dollars.
There's a bank account at HSBC in Geneva.
[Charles] Happy graduation. It's yours.
[chuckles] Mine?
There's probably a board of directors or something.
Whitecloud is controlled by bearer shares.
Look, my degree is in ethnic identity.
[Charles] Okay. So, bearer shares are pieces of paper
that entitle the holder of that paper
to complete control over the company.
You would own the company.
Its money is your money,
as long as you hold the shares.
Right now, I own it.
- Now Jeff owns it. - Thank you.
If he gives it to you, you would own it.
That simple?
Twenty million?
[Jeff] There's no other paperwork that has to be done. I'll handle everything.
[chuckles] Just don't lose them. Put 'em someplace safe.
You get them after the party. After your mother gets back on a plane.
Good trip, my star?
So where's the guest of honor? She's been texting.
Really? Anything in particular?
No.
She's in her room.
A little anxious about the day's events.
I prefer the other one better. The Versace.
It brings out your eyes.
This one brings out things that make me wonder
why you bothered going to university in the first place.
Look, I like this one better.
[sighs] I'm not sure how your father would feel
about something so revealing on a young woman.
What is Astrid planning on wearing? She has a good sense of style, I think.
I don't know what she's wearing.
Is she bringing a date?
The young man we met in St. Barts over the holidays?
I forget his name, the Italian boy.
Look, she's not coming.
Oh, my God, she must hate me.
[Charles sighs]
It was a shock to her system. But it's been handled.
I don't want you to worry about it. I don't want you to worry about anything.
So we're still goin', right?
- [knock at door] - [mother] Charles?
May I have a word with you?
I'll pick you up after the party.
You're going to love New York.
I'll be ready.
Come.
Do you know what happened with Simone and Astrid?
Something happened?
I hear Astrid is not coming to the party.
Well, you know young girls.
They can always be counted on not to be counted on.
They do everything together, thick as thieves, and now this?
Have you spoken to her?
Intermittently throughout the day. Has she said anything to you?
Very little to me.
[sighs] It's probably about a boy. It usually is.
[chuckles] Have you seen the yard?
It's looking marvelous.
[both laugh]
[mother] Astrid?
- Uh... - It's Miranda.
Hi! [chuckles]
I wasn't expecting to hear from you.
Look, I'm not sure what sort of nonsense has gone on here, but it doesn't matter.
You are part of our family, part of Simone's life
and this is a moment we are all going to celebrate together, period.
There is so much love here,
regardless of whatever little injustices we have visited upon each other,
so you are expected to attend.
Do not ever let a man destroy your sisterhood.
Do you have a dress to wear?
Uh... Uh, no.
Then you get yourself down to your favorite store
and buy a dress that says to the world, "I did it."
That is my graduation present to you. I will send a car.
You sure it's cool?
It is not merely cool, it is paramount that you attend.
Just don't tell Simone you're coming,
I want to give her the gift of her best friend for graduation.
You're amazing.
And just so you know, I don't see this as a permanent thing, right?
It's just fun for now.
Okay, wonderful. Bye-bye.
Take it off, it's too much.
- Coming from you. - Coming from your father.
Suck my dick.
Grow up. Now.
You're a very wealthy girl.
Where are my bearer shares?
I'm so out of here.
They're in the safe in my office.
After the party,
once I'm in a car,
I will text you the combination.
And if they're not in there?
Then I'm not a man of my word.
And you will no doubt tell your mother, and chaos will reign upon the land.
Are you gonna tell her? Ever?
No.
I'm going to protect her from what would cause her pain.
Because I failed to do that the last time.
What?
She has her own bearer shares.
She's taken care of.
She could leave if she wants, but she stays.
Why do you think that is?
Hello?
- [sighs] - Are you fucking kidding me?
You have the audacity to come back into my house?
- You fucking whore! - [screams]
What in the Lord's name is wrong with you, girl?
- She's a fucking slut! - Is that how you were brought up?
- To raise your hand against a friend? - Tell her.
- Tell her what you did! - No matter what she has done,
it cannot possibly warrant this treatment.
You apologize right now, Simone, or I am going to get your father,
and he will not be so lenient.
- Mum, she... - You want your father involved?
- Say it, girl. Say you're sorry. - She doesn't have to.
It's me who should apologize.
Don't be silly.
Over the New Year's, in St. Barts.
I knew he was watchin' me when I took my clothes off.
I knew he'd follow me into the water.
The... The Italian boy?
Charles.
I knew when I gave him my hotel key, he'd come.
He had his foot in between my legs under the table at dinner.
I thought it would be fun, I didn't think it would blow up the way it did.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Simone.
Fuck.
Fuck!
Mm. These certainly are the bearer shares.
- Mm? You own them, you hold them. - [Miranda] Mm-hm.
Uh, I was told that they're worth 20 million dollars.
Well, well, uh... looking at the bank statements
you requested from our directors,
Whitecloud Enterprises, uh...
uh, was indeed worth 20 million US dollars.
Was?
Well, as you can see for yourself, here...
as of last week, they appear to be worth a little less than $37.
[laughs] What?
Uh... How is that possible? It's my company.
Who moved the money?
[Elena] It's true that you hold the bearer shares
for Whitecloud Enterprises of the Seychelles, but...
Whitecloud itself is controlled by a trust:
Jetstream Trust of Cyprus.
What does that mean?
So, Jetstream administers to Whitecloud along with a lot of other companies.
And, um... what about these?
These are Nimbus Holdings of the Seychelles.
Yeah, also controlled and held by Jetstream Trust.
Yeah, the bank says that Nimbus is now worth,
uh, $100.
Again, these are recent transactions.
How the hell does he get away with this?
Look, where the fuck is my money?
[sighs] Well, if you want more information on your father's financial activities,
I'm afraid I will have to direct you toward his bank.
You have to tell us something.
Actually, I'm not obliged to tell you anything.
That... That is the letter of the law.
Good day.
I am truly sorry for your trouble.
I really, really am.
The world is just men hiding behind piles of paper.
Well, fuck him.
- I'm so sorry. - Ohh.
- I'm so sorry. - Don't worry.
- Thank you. - Don't worry.-
I clean it up.
More than anything else, our clients expect, uh, one thing from us.
Privacy.
Now, privacy and secrecy are two different things.
Privacy is locking the bathroom door when you want to take a pee.
Secrecy, on the other hand, is locking the door
because what you are doing in a bathroom is not what people usually do.
And sometimes, after privacy has had a few drinks,
it might decide it wants to spend the night with secrecy
just to explore the relationship.
But where can they be together without people peeking in through the curtains?
Well, usually, in an offshore company.
That way, someone looks in a window, they see an empty room.
And the window and the room could be in two different places.
Yeah, the window could be in the British Virgin Islands
and the room could be in, uh...
China. It goes all the way to China.
Mel, I found it on the Internet. They had the whole story.
Mom, I think you're spending too much time obsessing on this.
Politicians are doing it. It's not just criminals.
Bribery, corruption, money laundering.
Millions and millions and millions of dollars.
And they're tryin' to hide the whole thing through this company called Russell Prop...
Yes, Russell Properties.
[dissonant piano chords]
[Mossack] So here is another story Ellen Martin wants to blame on us.
[Fonseca] This man, Mister Maywood, he is about to make a big mistake.
[Mossack] Actually, everyone in this story makes a big mistake.
[Fonseca] But Russell Properties was not the problem here.
The problem was greed.
[Mossack] God passed a law against greed,
but that didn't stop people from breaking it.
[Fonseca] And still Ellen Martin thinks we are responsible
for this man knocking on the door of this hotel room.
I remember you prefer whiskey, no ice, correct?
[man] Indeed.
I trust business has been as good for you as it has been for us here?
Last year, China became the largest exporting country on the planet,
replacing Germany.
Mm.
And you also became the largest automotive market in the world.
Hats off.
Every year, we get buried under more regulations.
You... You get buried under more dosh.
My husband is very impressed with your understanding of the world.
He says people like you are why the British controlled China for so long.
[chuckles] I'll take that as a compliment.
Well, you should. My husband's a brilliant man.
He will likely ascend from his position on the Politburo
to become the leader of all of China one day.
Now it's time to rinse and repeat.
To Russell Properties of the Virgin Islands.
[glasses clink]
What shall we call the next one, darling?
You get me the money, you can name the entity.
The deal with Xu Ming was very simple.
He wanted a plastics factory here in Chongqing
and was willing to pay for the opportunity.
We wanted a home on the Riviera.
My husband was able to help Xu with the factory.
You were helpful with the home in France.
You understand the intricacies of such arrangements,
these shell companies, as they are called.
They are so very useful.
For people in our position, it can be a fatal illness,
this accumulation of money.
I'm nothing more than a white glove, as you say.
- Ohh... - Yes, I am.
A way to keep your hands from getting dirty.
[tuts] There are many white gloves in China now.
You, Mr. Maywood...
you're more than that.
Your initiative is inspiring.
For Communists, you seem to catch on very quickly.
You never answered my question.
What question is that?
Are we moving ahead?
Or does this bribe you took from Xu for this damn plastics factory
become common knowledge to all of China?
I don't think I have a choice now, do I?
You are forcing us to commit a crime.
I'm surprised by the appearance of such virtue.
Did you come by that on your last holiday to France?
I'm just asking you to do again,
what you did before.
Two hundred million US dollars.
It's not an opportunity I can just let slide, love.
Xi Jinping has made it clear that corruption will no longer be tolerated.
Are you familiar with Wang Lijun, the chief of police?
I try to know as few policemen as possible.
Let me tell you a story, so you can fully understand my concerns.
Make sure our guest has a drink for this story.
You are perhaps familiar
with the so-called spiritual practice of Falun Gong.
It was labeled as an enemy of the state
for advocating superstition
and jeopardizing social stability.
Police Chief Wang decided to help rid the country of such threats.
He became feared throughout the land for the techniques he employed.
He would say that the organs were harvested
only after the prisoners were dead.
But the Falun Gong were expendable.
And a heart can bring $180,000 on the open market,
depending on the blood type.
A cornea from a young person is perhaps $3,000.
A kidney can bring as much as $60,000, if it is not too old.
[sighs]
[groans]
Really charming story. Thanks for sharing.
Maybe you should lie down for a moment.
I'm all right.
[sighs]
So, we are moving ahead?
Yes, move ahead.
I'll get the bank to reach out to Mossack Fonseca in Panama
and have them set up a new company.
- In the Virgin Islands. - Yes.
And you will promise not to make any more threats to expose us.
Why would I expose my trusted partners?
What can I get you? Aspirin? Water?
Water's fine.
So, if we are partners, will you do something for me?
Sure.
I need to know that there are no others who can hurt me,
who can expose us, or I'm always vulnerable.
I need you to divorce your wife.
I need you to do that and prove your loyalty to me and Bo Xilai.
Will you do that for me?
- You're fuckin' crazy. - [chuckles]
- Divorce my wife? - Yes.
Mm-mm.
[sighs] No, I'm not doing that.
You're just gonna have to trust me.
Thank you.
Ah, some more, please.
[woman] I remember you love Mahjong.
I was thinking we could play a friendly game and celebrate our new arrangement.
Maybe we let you sleep.
- [groans] - And then we can play.
Oh, thank you. [breathes heavily]
How much longer do we have to wait?
[grunts]
[moans]
[moaning on TV]
So...
What brings you here today?
Just what I said on the phone.
This man Maywood has taken our son hostage at his home in London.
He tried to force us into a compromising position
with various offshore schemes.
And did you call the authorities?
He would have spread stories about me and Bo.
I have no doubt about that.
This would have made things even worse for us.
So I did what was needed.
Meaning what?
In the glasses he drank from, you will find the residue of rat poison.
Cyanide stops the heart.
Along with other things in the room... you'll understand everything very quickly.
Everyone sleeps better at night when corruption has been vanquished.
That was Gu Kailai on November 14th.
We will continue to weed out corruption at every level, no matter how high.
There is no place in government for those who are weak
in the face of temptation.
On this, Xi Jinping and I agree.
We must all look in the mirror
and hold ourselves to the highest standard,
as history will not be kind to those who have stolen from the people.
We need to get out of here.
To France.
Gu Kailai, you are being arrested for murder.
Whatever I've done,
I've done to defend the honor of my country and my husband.
Bo Xilai, you are under arrest
for the crimes of bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of power.
What's going on? You've got the wrong person.
It's a mistake, a mistake.
[Fonseca] So, how is this our fault?
[Mossack] Did we tell Bo Xilai and his wife, Madame Gu,
to accept the bribe for the plastics factory?
[Fonseca] No.
[Mossack] Did we tell Mister Maywood to launder that money
by purchasing them a mansion in the south of France?
[Fonseca] No!
[Mossack] And we most certainly did not tell Mister Maywood to try and force
Bo and Madame Gu to launder still more money
by accepting more bribes and starting more entities.
[Mossack] So where did these ideas come from?
Where most ideas about money come from.
The United States of America.
In the late-19th century,
the state of Delaware realized it could not attract business
the same way New York and New Jersey do.
So Delaware began writing corporate-friendly tax laws,
hoping to lure more business.
And it worked.
1209 North Orange Street in Wilmington, Delaware
is home to 285,000 companies
and none of them are paying state taxes.
[chuckling]
The director of this movie has five.
- Even... Even our writer has one. - [laughs]
But if Delaware could do it,
why couldn't, uh, Switzerland or Luxembourg,
and, uh, Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands?
You are probably wondering, is this legal?
Hm?
Yes. This is called tax avoidance.
Now, tax evasion is a crime,
uh, but tax avoidance, that's what put us in business.
And the line between the two, we like to say,
it's as thin as a jailhouse wall.
Now, those very bad things that have happened to Ellen...
First, the sinking of the boat, uh...
- then losing the... the condo in Vegas. - Yes.
It's taking a toll on her health.
Her daughter says she has, uh, lost appetite,
uh, she isn't sleeping,
and the anger she is feeling is eating her up inside
because the world is beyond her control.
She can't afford to make campaign contributions
to politicians who could change the laws that torment her.
But instead, she has to come here and pray.
[Ellen] Thank you, Lord, thank you. Thank you for everything.
I hate to ask this,
but I was just wondering when exactly
the meek will be inheriting the Earth?
Wi... Will that be in my lifetime or in my grandkids'?
And... And the part about the first being the last and the last shall be first,
when does that start?
Hm?
And what about the rest of us in the middle, you know?
We're just falling further and further and further behind.
My mother used to say,
"May lightning strike 'em all without hitting me."
Well, aren't you still in charge of lightning? I know. I know, I know.
I'm supposed to say, "Forgive them, Father.
They know not what they do."
But I think they do know goddamn well what they're doing, they just don't care.
Ah, just... If just one of them could say, "I'm sorry,"
you know, and mean it.
Or go to jail. [chuckles]
Or both. Yeah. Hey, that would be nice.
How about both?
[phone vibrating]
Oh... [panting]
Yeah?
[gasping]
[phone rings]
- [phone buzzes] - [phone chimes]
[ringing and buzzing continue]
- [ringing continues] - [grunts]
[sighs]
[panting]
A lot of it's legal, but that's exactly the problem.
It's not that they're breaking the laws, it's that the laws are so poorly designed
that they allow people, if they've got enough lawyers
and enough accountants, to wiggle out of responsibilities
that ordinary citizens are having to abide by.
We turn now to the banking bombshell causing shock waves around the world,
the so-called "Panama Papers",
believed to be the biggest data leak in history.
Iceland's Prime Minster has stepped down after being named in the papers.
Also mentioned in the files, the late father
of British Prime Minister David Cameron.
We just got in this breaking news from Pakistan. It's an ongoing story.
Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister, has resigned.
...fish for it, or did it just appear?
Uh... I got a message late one night,
um, and it was from somebody who called himself Mr. John Doe
and offered vast amounts of data.
And we said yes. So I did not fish for it.
It just... You know, it just...
came to us like, uh, fate.
[Mossack] Uh, we are in the process of an in-depth investigation
uh, with experts who have confirmed that, unfortunately,
we have been subject to an unauthorized, uh...
breach in our email server.
We are working with the help of outside consultants
to determine the extent to which our system was accessed
- by unauthorized persons. - Mm-hm.
[clears throat] What do we tell our clients?
Well... uh...
"We... We regret again any inconvenience
that this, um... event may have caused you,
and, uh, we thank you for your continued trust and," uh...
- Yeah. - Who would have done such a thing?
Who is John Doe?
Who, exactly?
There was a lawsuit in Nevada.
We were accused of obstruction of justice,
- but that was never proven. - Never.
Maybe our opponent stole the data to punish us.
Hm. Then again, maybe...
maybe it was another law firm, jealous of our success.
- Hm. - Such is the nature of all business.
Or maybe it was a hacker who found a backdoor
to rob us of our reputations and stole our future.
An emissary of the meek, not content to wait for their inheritance.
Someone who labored under the naive understanding of the world around them.
Who blamed us for every, uh, pothole and collapsing bridge,
for every, uh, school without books, for every stomach without food.
So what did John Doe say about us?
"More than just a cog in the machine of 'wealth management',
Mossack Fonseca used its influence to write, to..."
"To... To write and bend laws worldwide to favor the interests of criminals!"
- Now, we didn't write the laws! - Nah.
- We just wrote contracts. - Yeah!
And isn't John Doe the criminal here? The thief of privacy?
Twenty-five years of hard work wiped out in a news cycle!
Ugh.
We will be closing our offices in, uh, Wyoming,
uh, Gibraltar, and, uh, Jersey.
In... In retrospect, uh...
I think we... we could have spent more on cyber-security.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Fucking British Virgin Islands want to fine us.
$440,000. A fine.
They should be building a statue of us instead, you know?
They would be a pile of sand with a fucking palm tree sticking out of it
if not for us!
I'm sorry, I shouldn't...
[stammers]
Uh, and Niue.
- [chuckles] Niue. - Niue.
- No, uh...
- Niue would be nothing without us. - Nothing.
- [Mossack] We put Niue on the goddamn map! - [Fonseca] We did.
There is someone on the phone who is asking questions
about something called "Odebrecht".
[panting]
[men speaking Spanish]
[Fonseca] Who sent you? John Doe?
Are you John Doe's police force?
We are here because President Varela believes
you have knowledge about Odebrecht.
Odebrecht?
A Brazilian construction company that has paid out over three billion dollars
in bribes to officials all around the world
in order to secure giant contracts in more than a dozen countries.
And... And what does that have to do with my garden?
There are dozens of shell companies your firm created for Odebrecht
to launder bribes.
Companies in Nevada, in the British Virgin Islands.
No, no, no, no. We sold those companies to intermediaries.
Uh... We... We had no knowledge of what the money was used for!
Mm.
Why don't I believe you?
Oh, I know why.
Europol says nearly 3,500 individuals
with companies your firm created
are connected to suspected criminals.
That's why.
Get him out of here.
So what? Do you want to know about Odebrecht?
- That's why we're here. - You know what? Listen.
The highway most of you took to get here this morning was built by Odebrecht.
You know, they actually have a department of their company in charge of bribes.
- Is that my fault? - [murmuring]
They have paid over three billion dollars
- in bribes to secure... - No, Ramón, that's enough.
...construction contracts all over the world.
And I have every reason to believe that President Varela of Panama himself
has accepted campaign contributions from Odebrecht!
- What? Do you have proof of this? - No, Ramón...
May I be struck down by lightning if I am lying.
- Who's John Doe? - All right? No, no.
President Varela has not defended Panama.
We have dropped our pants before the international community,
and they are all lining up behind us now.
- Enough! - Who is Joe Doe?
I don't... I don't know who John Doe is! Fuck John Doe!
I think Ramón wishes he had not said some of the things he said that day
about our president.
[sighs]
These are the kinds of wishes that men have
when they are sitting in jail.
Father Gallego.
[chuckles]
Maybe he was a saint and there was no room for him on Earth,
so he was, uh... moved to Heaven.
Yeah, but there was plenty of room for Jürgen and I.
Room for us to keep 215,000 secrets.
What?
You wanna go back to bananas?
- Yeah. - [Fonseca chuckles]
So, if we are the losers,
then who are the winners?
The meek?
Children who need books?
The poor who need homes?
No.
The United States.
The biggest tax haven in the world.
Delaware.
Nevada.
Wyoming.
How much due diligence is happening there?
Yes, there is a... a brand new tax law in America.
And it does nothing to stop any of this.
Huh.
Is John Doe on his way there?
[Fonseca] Well, uh...
We thank you, uh...
for listening to our side of the story.
Mossack Fonseca... uh...
is no more.
But there are many other firms just like us.
Yeah. Still in business all around the world.
And what does John Doe have to say about that?
Whoever that is.
I do not work for any government or intelligence agency, I never have.
My viewpoint is entirely my own,
as was my decision to share the documents.
I call on the European Commission
and the British Parliament,
the United States Congress,
and all nations
to put an end to massive, pervasive...
[as Ellen]...corruption!
[sighs]
In this system, our system,
the slaves are unaware,
both of their status and of their masters,
who exist in a world apart
and where the shackles are hidden amidst reams of...
unreachable legalese.
It is a result of massive, pervasive corruption of the legal profession.
When it takes a whistleblower to sound the alarm,
it is cause for even greater concern.
'Cause it signals that... [sighs]
...democracy's checks and balances have all failed,
and that severe... [panting]
[snorts]
...instability could be just...
[sighs heavily]
just around the corner. [sniffles]
So... now...
is the time...
for real action.
It starts with asking questions.
Tax evasion cannot possibly be fixed... [chuckling]
while elected officials are pleading for money
from the very elites
who have the strongest incentives to avoid taxes...
relative to any other segment of the population.
Yeah.
These...
political practices have come full circle
and are irreconcilable.
[sighs heavily]
Reform...
of America's broken campaign finance system cannot wait.
[gentle wind blowing]
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