White House: Pandora Papers investigation won’t change Washington–Kyiv dialogue

05.10.2021 15:15

Ukrinform

Information about the alleged connection between a number of offshore companies and President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Pandora Papers investigation will not change the dialogue between Kyiv and Washington but will elevate the importance of increasing financial transparency in the world.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made a corresponding statement at a briefing on October 4.

When asked whether the Pandora Papers revelations will affect the dialogue between the White House and its strategic partners, including Kyiv, Psaki said: "I wouldn’t say it changes [the dialogue]. It makes it [issue of financial transparency] even more important to be on the international agenda."

According to Psaki, U.S. President Biden is committed to bringing additional transparency to both the U.S. and international financial systems. “It’s something that he has pressed for in his domestic agenda but also something that, in international forums, he has focused on elevating as important to level the playing field; reduce corruption; ensure that, you know, we are doing that as a coordinated international body,” the Press Secretary said.

Ukrainian media outlet Slidstvo.Info released the investigation film Offshore 95, which states that Pandora Papers, a new leak of confidential records of 14 offshore service providers, allegedly partially confirmed the scheme of transferring funds from the structures of Ukrainian tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky to the offshore companies of President Volodymyr Zelensky and his entourage.

In particular, according to the media outlet, the journalists managed to identify the ultimate beneficial owners of offshore companies who could receive funds and that those funds could be allegedly involved in the withdrawal and laundering of PrivatBank funds.

The Pandora Papers investigation was conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), involving more than 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. It exposes the offshore assets of 35 former and current world leaders, including former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, King Abdullah II of Jordan, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta. In addition, the investigation reveals the involvement of Russian media manager Konstantin Ernst in the billion-dollar privatization deal in Russia.