MOSCOW — A leak of details about offshore bank accounts belonging to Russian businesspeople and the wife of First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov threatens to embarrass President Vladimir Putin, who has vowed to crack down on the use of tax havens.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a network of 160 journalists around the world, has started releasing its findings from a 15-month investigation into offshore money.
Some of the findings were previously known or suspected. But the report also uncovered details that cast new light on a practice that may be completely legal but has incited Putin’s disapproval. Putin has called on senior officials to deposit their money in Russian banks rather than foreign accounts and has spoken out against offshore tax havens.