Paradise Papers | L’empire de l’argent sale

Paradise Papers | L’empire de l’argent sale

It all started in March 2017 in Munich, in the greatest secrecy. Cash Investigation is invited to a meeting at the newspaper’s headquarters South German newspaper. The Panama Papers gang is back, rather happy to be back together for this new project of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Every person in this room, each of you, may endanger the project. The success of the project depends on absolute confidentiality during the 12-month investigation. 376 journalists from 67 countries responded to the call of the two German reporters, already at the origin of the Panama Papers. If the Panama Papers showed us that, on the offshore world, NOW, We will be able to see all of that. The two journalists received new confidential documents, always anonymously. This case has even more potential than the Panama Papers. And we’ll explain why. The leak comes from three different sources. First of all, several commercial registers in tax havens, then a trust manager. And finally Appleby, one of the largest offshore law firms in the world, specialized in financial arrangements. Well hidden on islands renowned for their secrets. These 10 offices spread around the world allow Applebee’s to be very competitive and to be able to offer its customers the best domiciliation according to their needs. AppleBee offers tailor-made solutions for the wealthy, politicians, multinationals. It feels like we have opened a door to the offshore world, like never before. Back in Paris, We needed a little time to get into the matrix. The Paradise Papers, It’s dizzying. 13.5 million documents. And just for the Applebee’s office… 3 million documents, 1,800,000 emails, 100,000 Excel tables. To read every word of every document, It would have taken four journalists from the team seven and a half years of their lives to read everything. So we had to choose. Very quickly, an obvious fact. Private jet buyers are among Applebee’s preferred clients. Documents mentioning aircraft, There are more than 73,000 of them in the database. Financial assembly diagrams, commercial proposals, and even well-known company names. As you browse through them, We notice three letters that come up very often. V.A.T. VAT in French. And if we talk a lot about VAT, it is possible to get rid of it when you buy an airplane, thanks to small arrangements. Jeunel and its air show. Here, no fighter plane, than private jets and the entire elite of business aviation. A high-end market, reserved for a very small number of very wealthy clients, several hundred potential buyers each year, that must be seduced at all costs. We too, We want to be seduced. So we transform Thomas, our cameraman, as an emissary of a wealthy and mysterious French client who wants to buy a jet. A customer who is obviously very allergic to TV. Thomas has an appointment with the Dassault representative. Good morning, I present to you Mr. Leblanc. There is one question that is too difficult for me. In my opinion, It’s too hard. Good, before Thomas’s difficult question, We need to explain something to you. If the plane is for his business, the buyer of a jet does not pay VAT, because the taxman reimburses him. On the other hand, if his jet, It’s primarily for leisure, the buyer must pay VAT. So, The total bill could reach ten million euros. It’s the law. Now let’s hear Thomas’s difficult question. The only complicated point of this file, It’s not a business jet. You mean it’s not a plane? Business, that is, it is not used for business It would be very minor, In fact. The use of the plane, it would be difficult to justify for its business on the plane. That’s not true. You look like you’re buying a plane. No, but, certainly. However, it’s well done as an individual. We knew how to throw in the VAT. He can’t pass you over to a company that would have itself That, in Anyway, you have to have a company, you have a certain number of them. That said, there is a lot of life in publishing. When it takes off, I can’t hear you as well. I was saying that this company, it can be an empty shell, whose only active ingredient is lamb. An empty shell, that is, a shell company. The gentleman from Dassault will give us another tip, the place where it is domiciled. One of manna, possibly. A registration number and a manna number. Quite. Are you a regular visitor to the Isle of Man? We, we have already made recordings, Yes, of accretion, But no, No, No, It’s not a thing. It’s not something where we decide to register the manna, Are you the one taking care of it? So we, we will not take care of the registration of the company, This is something you have to do. All right. However, once you tell us, which company owns us, after all, the rest, you need what you need. We will help you, There’s no problem with that. Alright. THANKS, see you soon. Bye. Thank you, sir, see you soon. Now we need to find the company that will handle the tax arrangements. And to tell the truth, We didn’t have to search long. In the aisles of the living room, just raise your head. Look, here, It’s written on the walls of the stand. I vat Advice, European VAT advice. To register your plane there, there are distant and exotic solutions, in the Cayman Islands or on the island of Aruba. And then, there is the Isle of Man, in Europe. On the Isle of Man, there is society Estera. Thomas will tell the same story. To his representatives, that of a Jet owner, who wishes to use it for his personal use. And who doesn’t want to pay VAT. It is possible to set up a structure on the Isle of Man. This will require a VAT number and will allow you to recover or defer payment of VAT. So, in practice, the company is supposed to pay VAT and collect it. On a 50 million euro jet, That’s 10 million you don’t have to pay. I’ve done this montage so many times, It works perfectly. Thanks to Estera, the real owner of the JET creates a shell company which becomes the official purchaser of the aircraft. The real owner, him, will not pay VAT and will only have to rent his plane to the shell company when he wants to use it. We take the money from this pocket and put it in the other pocket. That’s business. So, with you, we are really in good hands. Yes, we have experience. Experience and efficiency. A few days after meeting them, We receive Esthera’s quote by mail. To create our shell company, it is necessary to count in total 8,000 pounds, either 9,000 euros. But there are other costs. Every year, we will have to pay 8,660 pounds, or 9,700 euros. Not much. Compared to the 10 million euros in VAT we would have had to pay for our private jet. Thanks to Estera’s service, Our shell company will have the appearance of a real private jet rental company. With a real fake owner, a real fake tenant. And to stamp the paperwork, ghost directors. And, of course, an address. On the Isle of Man. Isle of Man, a confetti of British empire lost in the middle of the Irish Sea. 500 km². Seals, sheep. And 80,000 inhabitants with strange customs. Not forgetting a small airport very busy with private jets. The Isle of Man, a tax haven an hour’s flight from France. Right in the city center, It is not very difficult to find Esthera’s offices. They have a view. Right next door, a familiar name, Applebee’s. You know, The leak of documents comes from them. Until 2016, Estera and Applebee’s, It was the same company. What are you going to do? We have an appointment with these two representatives from Estera. It’s this way. What is good, when you play businessmen, This is what we’re talking to you about. Hidden You will be connecting your aircraft to an Isle of Man company, It’s classic. Most manufacturers are very willing to do this, because they know that VAT is a big issue. If you take away 20% of any amount, it’s huge, so they do it all the time. Setting up a company on the Isle of Man, to avoid VAT, This is not tax fraud. Finally, according to them. Whatever its business reason, An Isle of Man company is considered to be part of the European Union for customs and VAT purposes. It is tested and validated. This is not a flaw or a trick. It’s business. This is a commonly accepted procedure. We have already had checks carried out by French customs. We never had any problems. This is considered intra-community trade. This is the beauty of the European Union. Ah, it’s cool, Europe, view from here. The island of Oman does not belong to the European Union, but thanks to an agreement signed with the British, This tax haven has become the gateway to Europe. So, An aircraft imported via the Isle of Man is considered to be imported into the UK, so in the European Union. An entrance gate guarded by customs officers who are apparently not very observant. And what kind of relationship do you have with the customs officers here? We have a very good relationship. This is probably the Isle of Man’s best selling point. For these questions, we call on Mr. T. Which we know very well. Mr. T. Is a former customs officer. When we have a problem, We contact him and he goes to see the customs officers. And if there is any oddity in the file, They are very happy to find the solution. We have a really good relationship. When we leave Estera’s, the customs officers are at the end of the street, in this red brick building. We will stay wisely outside. But in any case, If the customs officers are as helpful as Estera claims, Those who hide their jets here are not likely to be worried. As we roam the city in the shoes of an aircraft buyer, Other journalists from the consortium drive to the Isle of Man Jet Center. The place to be for private planes and their very wealthy passengers. Luxury. Peace and privacy. A truly welcoming place that we discovered with the manager. You offer dinner to your clients Yes, Of course, but most of the time, He doesn’t stay very long. It’s a shame. It’s very comfortable. Yes, Of course. But given their position, You know, They rarely have time. Who are your customers? Obviously, It’s confidential. I won’t give you any names. Well, You have rich people and others who are incomprehensibly rich. At the Jet Center, We protect the identity of customers and take care of all formalities. It’s so simple that even a kid who looks like he just stepped out of a boy band can handle it. How long does it take to register a plane there? When everything is in place, The plane arrives and can take off again after half an hour. The only thing you need when the plane is there, These are the papers for VAT and customs, that the crew or owner must bring. We check and the plane can take off again. How many planes are imported here? 6 to 10? Yes, between 6 and 10. 6 to 10 per month Per month. Imported by the Isle of Mann? That’s it. In less than 10 years? 970 aircraft were registered here. One jet for every 80 inhabitants. Not bad for a windswept rock from the Irish Sea. But who are these wealthy owners capable of braving the elements to hide their jet in this tax haven? In Applebee’s listings, let’s take the registered jet GLCDH. A Challenger 605 imported to Europe in January 2013. It is owned by a company based in the British Virgin Islands, baptized Stealth Aviation. In French, stealth, it means stealthy. This stealth company leases the plane to another company, also called Stealth, but this time based on the Isle of Man. There, The plane is leased to the company Hangar 8. In the end, The device is used by the BRV company in Guernsey. And a certain Lewis Hamilton, British subject and Formula 1 world champion. This cascade of companies has only one use, give the illusion of a real commercial rental activity. The reality is much simpler. The shell companies belong to Lewis Hamilton. He owns the plane, which he rents to himself. The Jet cost 22 million euros. Thanks to Estera’s service, Lewis Hamilton saved 3 700,000 euros in VAT. Yet, European rules are clear. A company that is an empty shell is not entitled to recover VAT. Officially, Lewis Hamilton’s jet is essential for his work. To check it, We have made a small selection of photos from social networks for you. Look, here, He discusses tires for the next Grand Prix, with his dogs Roscoe and Bosco. There, It’s a meeting. Racing strategy with his son. Ah, well, Finally, its board of directors. But no, It’s his gang of friends. We did find a photo where he was actually working with engineers, but it wasn’t on the plane. With the consortium’s journalists, We sent a long letter to Lewis Hamilton. Here is what his lawyers told us. “You should know that it is perfectly legal for a taxable person to choose to rent rather than buy to reduce VAT.” The main goal is to obtain a tax advantage. Obtain a tax advantage. That’s what we’ve been telling you from the beginning. Let’s go back to our listing. Let’s take a look at the registered aircraft M-Tink. Tink for Tinkoff Oleg. This Russian oligarch made his fortune in beer and banking. Until last year, He even owned a cycling team. I am a world champion, Tinkoff. World champion, Oleg. Between 2013 and 2016, Oleg bought three planes from the French company Dassault, including this one. Thanks to Applebee’s documents, we can follow the different stages of the transactions. For example, the decoration of the devices with the Tinkoff family coat of arms, the painting… Was approved by Rolleg himself. Same for crew training. Dassault Live loan with Vadim, the oligarch’s right-hand man. Dear Vadim, allow us to introduce you to Madam, who will take care of all matters related to pilot training. And it was Oleg himself who informed Dassault of the transfers. That works, I pay tomorrow. But surprisingly, in sales contracts, OLEg disappears. French manufacturer Dassault sells aircraft to a… Empty shell, the company Stark, residing at Appleby, Isle of Man. In total, to buy these three planes, Oleg Tinkoff paid 96 million euros. According to our calculations, The Russian oligarch saved 18,800,000 euros in VAT. We would have liked to discuss it with him, but he never replied to our letters. The Dassault group simply stated that “the locations and operating regimes of the delivered aircraft are the choice of its customers” and that the group has always carried out the necessary checks in accordance with the laws in force. By peeling through Applebee’s secret files, Another big name in raw materials stands out. Glencore. You don’t know Glencore So, here we go for 30 seconds of Glencore in our daily lives. Electric cars, Glencore. Our cell phones and tablets, Glencore. Electric cables, Glencore again. Electric bikes, Glencore again and again. Glencore I adore The group is a giant in the promised materials. The world’s leading trader, one of the largest producers. 55,000 employees worldwide. 130 billion euros in turnover in 2016. Everything that comes from the ground, or almost, Glencore provides it. Copper, zinc, nickel, alloy, aluminum, coal, oil and even agricultural products. In the Paradise Papers database, When you type these 8 letters, we get more than 34,000 responses. A colossal mass of documents. Glencore is one of Applebee’s largest customers. 1.3 million euros in fees in Bermuda, in 2016 alone. AppleBee has deployed all its expertise to help the raw materials giant weave an incredible web across the planet, to hide some of its contracts and cover its tracks, a myriad of offshore structures. This is the Glencore nebula, revealed for the first time in such a complete manner. The companies that the group controls, their links lead. All this should have remained secret, hidden in Applebee’s cupboards. Glencore is on the list of confidential clients. Thanks to the documents in our possession, We will reveal to you how the multinational is getting its hands on the planet’s riches, even if it means breaking the laws. To find this mastodon, very discreet, You have to take the train to Switzerland and climb towards the Alps. On the shores of Lake Zug, the small town of Barre. This sober building, It is Glencore’s global headquarters. No outward signs of wealth. Here, we hate attracting attention. SO, when we film the facades, we are being photographed. Hello Mrs. Oh, Well, that’s a shame. To tell you everything, We didn’t come to Switzerland to have our portrait taken. But to attend the General Meeting of Shareholders. It takes place in this modest function room. You know the drill. To be able to enter, we bought a share. And to film, We took a hidden camera. At the tribune, Ivan Glazenberg, Glencore’s CEO. When we look at the numbers, in 2035, 90% Vehicles on the planet could run on electricity. So, it will be necessary to produce 20 million tonnes of additional copper per year. Today, World copper production is only 23 million tonnes. An additional 1,800,000 tonnes of nickel will need to be produced. Today, only 2 million are produced. As for cobalt, the numbers are crazy. 670,000 tonnes would be needed. Today, The world only produces 100,000 tons of it. In view of these figures, Glencore is the world’s largest copper producer, of nickel and cobalt. So we will make the most of electric vehicles in the future. Copper, nickel, cobalt. The Swiss giant wins the trifecta. He got his hands on the most beautiful mines, the most productive. In the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Colwesia region. When you hover over it, It’s impossible to miss Glencore’s two treasures. The Kamoto and Mutanda mines. They contain huge deposits of copper and cobalt. And they have a particularity, They would produce the purest ores in the world. Necessarily, We want to get closer to these two jewels of the multinational. To be able to visit the Glencore mines, there is a procedure, called the seat in Switzerland. Hello Edouard, How are you ? At the end of the line, one of Glencore’s global communications managers. The type to want to control everything. Could we have your questions in advance? And could we choose in some way what will be in the final version? Would that be possible? To see the questions in advance? Exactly. I’m not really used to doing this. Would it be possible, after your filming, to see what you will use in the end Ah, no, I’ve never done that. Never. I’m sure of it, but if you don’t ask, you get nothing. It’s not the same job. If I did it, I would work in communications and earn more money. All right, ok, Of course. After 48 hours of waiting, The answer falls. It’s yes. To visit the Mutanda mine. The company sets its terms. List in this email sent from Switzerland. Ask employees for their permission before filming them, normal. Ask them for their consent for an interview, ok. And let them start the interview again if they are not happy with their answer. Oh, well, no! Good, That’s all. Ah, yes, One last detail. We will be accompanied by this lady. No, don’t film me, unless I appear very thin. Coquetry? No, rather instructions, coming from Switzerland. I don’t want to be filmed too much. But you’re going to be interviewed? I can answer questions, but I can’t give an interview. Good, without interview, It’s going to be complicated. Especially since we’re not even allowed to film from the car. Thomas, you are naughty. This is what you are, you are naughty. Barely time to shoot these images. Miners who start their shift in the early morning. There are 3,500 people working here. With subcontractors, The mine employs a total of 7000 people. The first site that we finally have the right to film, It’s this open-air well. But the manager doesn’t want to go on TV either. I can put a microphone on for you. I prefer not to be recorded. We can film and that’s it Yes. Can I report what people say? Yes. It’s anything but television. It doesn’t matter, Edward. We will describe the mine. This well is already 160 meters deep. Each day, 60,000 tonnes of ore are extracted. Loading 700 skips. Mutanda is one of the richest mines in the world. It houses 16% in particular of the world’s cobalt reserves. It is one of the largest cobalt mines. To the world? Yes, Yes, to the world. This site Yes, this site. Once extracted, What is cobalt used for? Cobalt is used in many areas. The greatest use, It’s for electric cars. But cobalt is also used in batteries. There are also many of them in smartphones. Almost all iPhones in the world contain cobalt from the Mutanda mine. Cobalt A great deal for Glencore. Its price has increased by 89% since January 2017. After the mine, the processing plant, where cobalt and copper ores become metal. But then again, no employee to answer us. Can I interview you? No, I prefer not to be filmed. Ah, you neither No. Everyone here is camera shy. Yes. Everything we can film, These are the copper plates, Glencore’s red gold. At the time of filming, A ton of copper was selling for 5,200 euros on the market. These 16 sets of plates are therefore worth a small fortune, 150,000 euros. From Mutanda, every year, 220,000 tonnes of copper and 24,000 tonnes of cobalt are transported on these trucks. According to our calculations, The Mine’s turnover will exceed 2 billion euros this year. To get your hands on these riches, Thank you for your visit. Glencore has spared no expense. Very close to a workers’ city, a gigantic open-air well, Glencore’s other flagship in the region, the Kamoto mine. Its conquest by the multinational was the subject of a fierce battle involving money, influence, dubious intermediaries and suspicions of corruption. In the Paradise Papers, we had access to secret documents, the minutes of the meetings of the company that owns these mines, Katanga Mining. They tell how Glencore took control of Kamoto and forced the Congolese state to bow. First episode. On June 23, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel at Zurich Airport, Katanga Minings board meeting. On the agenda, the bad news from the DRC. The Congolese state has decided to renegotiate all mining contracts upwards, even that of Katanga Minings. For shareholders, This increase is unacceptable. Then begins a long arm of fact. On October 13, 2008, New meeting. The Congolese are now asking $585 million to exploit the mines. In the sector, we call it a doorstep. Glencore and other shareholders… Only want to pay a quarter of this amount, 140 million. SO, It’s time to call a friend. Hi Dan, I call you, We have a problem in the quest at war. Hey, Do you know anyone there? Could you unblock the situation? Cool. Kisses Dan, great, THANKS. The kiss, Dan. Dan, This is Dan Gertler, a sulphurous character. The Israeli businessman made his fortune from diamonds from the DRC. A stranglehold on the sector, which earned him very harsh criticism in 2001 in a report on the plundering of the country’s resources. Former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, accuses Gertler transactions of making them a nightmare for the DRC. And a disaster for the local diamond trade. But that’s not stopping Dan Gertler’s business. After the diamonds, He invested in copper and cobalt mines. Gertler has a long arm, as evidenced by these previously unseen images, filmed in 2006. At Joseph Kabila’s wedding, the President of the Republic, The billionaire is among the guests of honor. It is this very influential figure that Glencore calls upon to negotiate with the Congolese state. Elisabeth Cassens works for an American foundation. She had access to the contracts of all mining companies in the DRC. With us, This specialist deciphers the Paradise Papers documents. Elisabeth Cassens, clap. first. Do you know this man? Obviously, in the mining sector, It’s hard not to know this man. So his name is Dan Gertler, It’s 2008. At that moment, The Congolese state asks foreign shareholders in mines to increase their contributions, that is, to pay more for mining operations. So, so the State sought to recover several types of revenue, including what they call doorsteps there. So, that’s it, that’s actually it, These are bonuses that we pay. To be able to access the sector. So that means that in this case, very clearly, we find Dan Gertler, we find Glencore, it’s 2008, we agree, at the time of renegotiation of entry fees, and Glencore and Dan Gertler don’t pay this entry fee that all other companies pay Actually, them, They manage to negotiate down and only pay a quarter of the initial price, So, from this bonus, compared to other companies. But why They received preferential treatment, clearly. This is where the question arises. How is it that this company can pay a much lower starting price? Especially since in fact, This company has recovered some of the most important mines in the sector, which held among the largest reserves. She would have had to pay a starting price of more than half a billion dollars. And in the end, She has committed to paying only 140 million. After Dan Gertler’s intervention, The Congolese state’s demands drop from $585 million to $140 million. This represents a saving of 445 million. $445 million, What does this mean for Congo? The budget of Congo, annually, It’s 3 billion in total. Oh yes, so there, We are almost at one sixth of the budget. Especially back then. At the time, it didn’t exceed 3 billion. So when we say a saving of $445 million, It’s gigantic. This exceeds the budget allocated for health and education. It’s huge. Huge. So huge that we ask ourselves a question. What is the billionaire middleman’s secret? In his business in the DRC, Dan Gertler was able to count on a man, Augustin Katumba Mwanké, the key figure in the mining sector in Congo. The man who whispers in President Kabila’s ear. Dan Gertler has managed to make him a staunch ally. In his memoirs, This is how Augustine speaks about his friend Dan. “Dan, my friend, my twin brother, I’m proud to be the brother you never had.” “Touching.” When Augustine falls ill, It was Dan who had him treated at his own expense in Israel. Augustin Mouanké died in 2012. President Kabila attends his funeral. And look, who is in the front row, two chairs away from President Kabila Dan Gertler. His place at the heart of power, Dan Gertler is said to have actually bought it. This is what a court decision in the United States allows us to understand. An American company is being prosecuted for corruption, notably DRC. According to investigators, It was Dan Gertler who put the pots back in front. Do you know this painting we have here? Yes, So this is an extract, in particular from these American justice documents. This document proves acts of corruption carried out by Dan Gertler, directly with President Kabila or with Augustin Katumbamuangke. So, they are here official 1 or 2 officials, and the sums are quite enormous. For the period from November 2010 to February 2011 only, So, frankly, it’s very short, It’s been a few months. American justice proves that Dan Gertler paid $20 million to President Kabila and Augustin Mouanké. This is not, in quotation marks, petty corruption. Yes, And the document even indicates that in total, There were allegedly bribes to all officials combined of more than $100 million. Over $100 million. Including these direct payments to the number 1 official, official number 2. Would you say, After seeing this document, which is very recent, again, than Dan Gertler’s method, quite simply, Is this corruption? Since all the time, He denies that he was involved in such practices. But again, There is a clear agreement between the multinational he used as a partner and the American justice system, As such, these practices have been used, And the American multinational agreed to pay $400 million to the American justice system as an out-of-court settlement. Do you, You think that Did Glencore knowingly use Dan Gertler, knowing his methods perfectly? And its close ties with the presidency of the Democratic Republic of Congo. We see that for a very long time, Glenn, Core and Gertler work together. Ten years. For ten years and for a very good period, they defended themselves against it. He is a partner, it is a partner with whom we work in the DRC, He’s a good partner and we don’t see the problem. Actually, What is interesting, is that when the American justice documents come out, the language changes. In 2016. In 2016, so, at the end of 2016, Suddenly, we see, We are aware that there may be a problem with… The little shot in the distance? Yes, so the language in the press changes and it indicates, There, we are aware, we’ll see what we do. And so, a few months later, They decide to buy out Gertler’s stake in the two mines in which they are partners. For a total of nearly a billion dollars, half of which is in cash. Bulk, You are telling us that it was necessary for the American justice system to reveal facts of corruption which, for the moment, there, are quite clear, for Glencore to end its collaboration with Dan Gertler. And that, It’s 2017. It’s 2017. So, there, for the moment, it’s there, it’s now, only now. The Swiss multinational has cut ties with Dan Gertler. But what does Glencore say about its relationship with this partner, which has now become very cumbersome? Remember, We were invited to the general meeting of shareholders. Let’s move on to the next question. Good morning, My name is Edouard Perrin, I come from France. Given the legal risks and reputational issues associated with Dan Gertler, My question is simple. Did Glencore or its subsidiaries enter into contracts with companies in which Mr. Was Gertler personally involved? THANKS. As you must know, We have entered into commercial agreements with companies in which Mr. Gertler is involved. In the past, We made loans to companies he was involved in. And some of these companies carried out administrative activities in the DRC on our behalf. None of them cause us any problems. And we are not involved in any investigation. So, can I ask what background check your company did on Dan Gertler? Extensive and in-depth. Next question. That’s all Extensive and in-depth. Dan Gertler and his pedigree. As smooth and clear as Lake Zug. From, with the consortium of journalists, We sent Glencore dozens of questions. And on a beautiful autumn morning, Glencore finally responds. One page press release and a single line of defense. The amount of the key money, $140 million, was negotiated before Dan Gertler’s intervention, from February 2008. Except that Glencore forgets to mention that after February 2008, The DRC revised its demands upwards and asked not for 140 million dollars, but four times more. Come on, we cross within the lines, in Switzerland, in the nails. The band refused all our requests for television interviews. In this case, you know us, We’re going to have a little visit. Good morning. Good morning. We are a French television crew, we are coming from Paris. We would like to speak to Mr…. What is your name ? Elise Lucet. Sit down, Please. Okay, Thanks a lot. Not even time to sit down. Good morning. Good morning, you are Mr… Yes. I am Elise Lucet. How are you ? Do not film, Please. Elise Lucet, France 2. Are these your colleagues? Edouard Perrin, delighted. Ah, you were in Katanga. Definitely, They hate TV at Glencore. Follow me into the room. Yes, Of course. And ask your colleagues to wait outside. Yes, Of course, They are waiting outside. In the offshore world, we prefer off-the-record conversations. These last about ten minutes. Here is a short summary of our discussions. It seems like you are trying to downplay Dan Gertler’s role in the decline in your Katanga Mining stake. Send me an email. What happened to the demands of the Congolese, then? I’m not going to talk about what happened there. We have questions, That’s why we’re here. Email me with your questions. Okay, THANKS, Goodbye. Send me an email. That’s what we did. A week after our visit to Switzerland, Glencore answers us. The group finally admits that after February 2008, The Congolese state has indeed claimed 585 million dollars. But we won’t know more. We have of course sent a long list of questions to the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila. A president who loves his country so much that he speaks about it like this. “My Congo, if you don’t want to believe in me, believe at least in my works.” We never got a response. As for Dan Gertler, through his lawyers, And he let us know that his relationship with President Kabila was strictly personal. That Katanga Minings had not received preferential treatment. Thanks to him, that the American investigation proved nothing about him. And that it was partly based on falsified evidence. We wanted to end this investigation with a riddle. 1. I give my name to an archipelago. 2. I am very drawn to this archipelago. Go for it, look for. You can’t find So, we’ll give you a hint. YELLOW, blue, blue and red, beige, Well, yes, It’s Bermuda. These long pants have become the uniform of businessmen in Bermuda. Anyone who says it’s ugly is deprived of a shell company. In the streets that day, the only ones not wearing Bermuda shorts, These are the journalists of the Paradise Papers Consortium. Australian, Danish, Japanese. Arrived in large numbers on the island for a quick visit to Applebee’s. The precious montages that we have been poring over for months were concocted in these offices, behind these smoked windows. It’s a bit of a traffic jam, because we come to collect in person the answers to the questions we have sent from all over the world. And so it is Mr. Red Bermuda shorts that welcome us, gentlemen, politely. Unfortunately, no one is available to come and answer you. We will contact you by email. If you want, I’ll leave this to you, but I think you already have our questions. I don’t know what it is and I can’t accept it. This is just a copy of the letter we sent you. We should have it by now then. Alright. Stoic, Mr. Red Bermuda Shorts. None of the 200 employees who work in the offices will bother to answer us. Here, definitely, we speak little, we much prefer to write. You will therefore have to be content with these declarations by email. There is no violation committed by Applebee’s. Your questions are not of public interest. On the contrary, It is obvious that you have received a large amount of stolen data that belongs to Applebee’s. We ask you to provide us with copies of these documents. The story of the Paradise Papers is only just beginning. In this leak of 13.5 million documents, Intermediaries, great fortunes, policies, multinationals. And always the same end result. Impunity, opacity and secrecy.

Les Paradise Papers dévoilent la plus vaste fuite de documents financiers offshore jamais révélée : 13,5 millions de fichiers, en grande partie issus du cabinet Appleby, basé aux Bermudes.
Pendant huit mois, l’équipe de Cash Investigation a enquêté aux côtés de 400 journalistes. Elle révèle comment des multinationales et grandes fortunes échappent à la fiscalité via des montages complexes.
Jets privés sans TVA, sociétés-écrans à l’île de Man, alliances douteuses dans les mines du Congo ou les terres de soja brésiliennes : derrière les profits, un monde opaque et des scandales globaux.

Réalisateur : Edouard Perrin