Panama documents leak details tax evasion by world's rich and powerful

New York

GOVERNMENTS across the world are investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful on Monday following a leak of documents from a Panamanian law firm which allegedly showed how clients avoided tax or laundered money.

The documents detailed schemes involving an array of figures from friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin to relatives of the prime ministers of Britain, Iceland and Pakistan and as well as the president of Ukraine, journalists who received them said. The files also identified offshore companies linked to the family of Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as Barcelona football player Lionel Messi.