Indians mock at slow pace of Panama probe in India

Indians whose names figured in Panama papers include industrialist Gautam Adani’s brother Vinod Adani, Indiabulls’ Sameer Gehlaut, Amitabh Bachchan and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh’s son among others



Photo by Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Photo by Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
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NH Web Desk

While Mian Nawaz Sharif was forced to resign as Prime Minister of Pakistan on Friday after the country’s Supreme Court disqualified him over allegations of corruption in Panamagate, probe into undisclosed foreign assets held by more than 500 persons of Indian origin, seems to be heading nowhere.

The scandal came to fore last year after leak of 11.5 million files from Panama based law firm, Mossack Fonseca, considered one of the world's most secretive companies.

Iceland’s prime minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, had become the first major casualty of the Panama Papers, stepping down from his office amid mounting public outrage over his family sheltering money offshore.

The leaked records—which revealed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth—obtained from an anonymous source by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung were shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Guardian, the BBC and The Indian Express.

In India, many industrialists and celebrities have been named in the case. According to an Indian Express report, prominent Indians whose names surfaced in Panama papers include Adani Enterprises Chairman Gautam Adani's brother Vinod Adani, Indiabulls' Sameer Gehlaut, prominent lawyer Harish Salve, industrialist Shishir Bajoria, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, real-estate developer DLF's KP Singh, politician Anurag Kejriwal and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh’s son Abhishek.

A petition was filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma seeking a probe into the matter in January this year. The Supreme Court ordered a Multi Agency Investigation (MAI), stating that it would first need to go through the report by MAI before deciding on whether to order a probe or not.

The ruling by Pakistani Supreme Court on Friday prompted many in India to question the snail’s pace at which the probe was going on in India. Interestingly, many Indians are admiring Pakistan for “transparency and accountability” on microblogging site twitter.

Here’s how India’s Twitter users reacted to the judgement of Pakistani Supreme Court over Panamagate case:

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