170 Icelanders Found In Panama Papers

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released a searchable database for the Panama Papers, and some 170 Icelanders have been found therein.

ICIJ opened the database yesterday. As Reykjavík Media had disclosed last month that many Icelanders could be found in the Panama Papers, Icelandic journalists were quick to pour over the database. RÚV now reports that some 170 Icelandic names have been found, and tax authorities are finding even more.

Many of these names, both of individuals and companies, are located in Iceland, but a great many are also positioned overseas. While RÚV has not disclosed all the names they found, they do so that they include “investors, CEOs and company board members, merchants, wholesalers, attorneys and fishing industry leaders“.

The curious can search for individuals and companies at ICIJ’s database search. Results for “reykjavik” alone are very revealing, and searching for more Icelandic towns also shows some surprising returns.

The Panama Papers leak has already had a significant effect on the shape of Icelandic politics, as they not only implicated several Icelandic ministers (as well as current and former members of Reykjavík City Council), they also contributed to the resignation of former Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, as well as to President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson dropping out of his re-election campaign.

For more on this developing story, check our Panama Papers tag at grapevine.is/news.