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699 views · Published 5 April 2016 · 10:33 · Indexed 22 October 2026

Channel: Public Enquiry · 2016 · News & Politics

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Law firm at heart of ‘Panama Papers’ leak owned by Nazi’s son
Erhard Mossack, father of one of Mossack Fonseca founders, served as combat soldier in Waffen SS during World War IIBY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF AND AFP April 4, 2016http://www.timesofisrael.com/law-firm-at-heart-of-panama-papers-leak-owned-by-nazis-son/

Jurgen Mossack, co-founder of Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca that it is at the center of leaked documents revealing offshore accounts of politicians and celebrities around the world (Wikimedia Commons, Jandrade97, CC BY-SA 4.0)Jurgen Mossack, co-founder of Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca that it is at the center of leaked documents revealing offshore accounts of politicians and celebrities around the world 

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Mossack Fonseca, the Panama-based law firm at the heart of the so-called “Panama Papers” scandal, is a discreet outfit with a roster of big-name clients and a quiet reputation for hiding money from the tax man.

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But the company apparently also had another secret. One of its founders, Jurgen Mossack, is the son of a Nazi SS soldier who was a member of the “Totenkopf” (Death’s Head) fighting unit during World War II, the Daily Mail reported Monday.

Citing German media, the report said that Erhard served as a rottenfuehrer (senior corporal) in the SS’s combat branch, the Waffen.

The Waffen initially operated the concentration camps, and later recruited into its ranks many camp guards when it was formed into a combat division. However, Erhard likely only served in the fighting unit, which used the death’s head symbol as its insignia.

The symbol of the 'Totenkopf' fighting unit in the Waffen SS (courtesy of ADL)
The symbol of the ‘Totenkopf’ fighting unit in the Waffen SS (courtesy of ADL)

In 1948, Erhard moved his family from Germany to Panama, but returned with his wife in the 1970s. He died in the 1990s and his wife passed away five years later, the report said.

According to the International Consortium of Investigating Journalists (ICIJ), citing US Army records, “old intelligence files” showed the father had also offered to spy for the CIA during his time in Panama, apparently on nearby Cuba.

The cloak of secrecy that Mossack Fonseca wrapped around itself was ripped apart on Sunday, when media organizations around the world published information from a massive leak from the firm’s supposedly secure data center.

Politicians, sports stars and celebrities were named in the 11 million pages of documents, according to information starting to be released by the ICIJ, which is parsing the data.

So too were the techniques allegedly used by Mossack Fonseca to make money trails murky, including slavish use of offshore havens such as the British Virgin Islands and some Pacific Ocean nations.

The revelation detailing the offshore structures of many wealthy clients is a “crime” and an “attack” on Panama, the law firm maintains.

“This is a crime, a felony,” Ramon Fonseca, one of the founders of Mossack Fonseca, told AFP.

“This is an attack on Panama because certain countries don’t like it that we are so competitive in attracting companies,” he said.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/law-firm-at-heart-of-panama-papers-leak-owned-by-nazis-son/

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