Just the FACTs: April 12, 2017
Last April, the world’s attention was captured by a global investigation revealing more than 11 million documents from a Panamanian law firm documenting a secret financial network reserved for the wealthy and corrupt. Now, one year later, the “Panama Papers” was just awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting, while experts are reflecting on how far we’ve come and how much farther we really need to go. There is no doubt that the “Panama Papers” release reverberated throughout the world, but—with the extent of the problem the information exposed—it’s clear not enough has been done.
In a statement marking the the anniversary, FACT’s Gary Kalman graded the global response to the Panama Papers a “C-”, calling the progress “more scattershot than comprehensive.” Though some real progress has been made, more must be done, especially when it comes to ending the abuse of anonymous companies. In a blog that followed, he further reflected on this past year and made a prediction for the future—saying he is optimistic that, by the next anniversary, our grade will improve.
