Jürgen Mossack
| Jürgen Mossack | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
20 March 1948 Fürth, Bavaria, Germany |
| Residence | Panama City, Panama |
| Nationality | German[1] |
| Alma mater | Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua |
| Known for | co-founder of Mossack Fonseca |
| Parent(s) | Erhard Mossack |
Jürgen Mossack (born 20 March 1948) is a Panama-based lawyer and the co-founder of Mossack Fonseca, a law firm headquartered in Panama City with more than 40 offices worldwide.
Early life
Mossack was born in Fürth, Bavaria, Germany, on 20 March 1948.[2] His father Erhard Mossack was a Rottenführer (senior corporal) in the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the Nazi Party's Schutzstaffel, during World War II. According to U.S. intelligence files, he offered to spy for the Americans after the war. When Jurgen Mossack was 13 his father moved to Panama with his family.[3] In Panama Erhard Mossack offered his services to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), spying on Communist activity in Cuba.[4][5] In 2016, Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, when contacted by journalists, said they had documents relating to Erhard Mossack but would not share any information, owing to possible security risks.[6][7]
Mossack received a bachelor's degree in Law from Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua in 1973.[4][8]
Career
In 1975, Mossack worked as a lawyer in London before returning to Panama to start a firm in 1977. Mossack’s practice only became Mossack Fonseca in 1986, when it merged with the firm run by Ramón Fonseca Mora, a Panamanian novelist, lawyer, and politician.[4][6] They built a global group of 600 employees and 46 subsidiaries, including the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Jersey, Luxembourg, the US, specifically the states of Wyoming, Florida, and Nevada.
Mossack served on Conarex, Panama’s council on foreign relations, from 2009 to 2014.[4][9]
His brother Peter Mossack serves as Honorary Consul of Panama in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from 2010 to date.[10][11][12]
On 3 April 2016, leaked documents from the company's private archive, dubbed the "Panama Papers", revealed detailed information on more than 214,000 offshore companies, including the identities of shareholders and directors. Mossack said in an interview to the Wall Street Journal the intermediary banks that his firm worked with — and who represent the final recipients of the shell companies — should have been doing better reviews of their clients: “Our brand needs to be protected. We feel the best way to protect the brand is by doing things ourselves and not rely on others.”[13] On 7 April 2016, it was announced that he was resigning after the leak.[14][15]
Mossack is a member of IBA ; STEP; Panama Bar Association; International Maritime Association; and the Maritime National Association.[8]
Mossack’s holdings, according to the files obtained by ICIJ, include a teak plantation and other real estate, an executive helicopter, a yacht named Rex Maris and a collection of gold coins.[4]
Personal life
Mossack has two daughters, Andrea and Nicole, who have been covered in the Panamanian press since at least 2003 for showjumping.[16][17]
Mossack is a member of the prestigious Club Unión, where his daughter Nicole made her debut in 2008.[18] She is married to Tomás Altamirano.[19]
References
- ↑ http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/panamapapers-123.html#page=6&anim=slide
- ↑ "Mr. Jurgen Mossack Lawyer Profile on". Martindale.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
- ↑ http://www.wsj.com/article_email/co-founder-of-mossack-fonseca-defends-law-firm-1460004583-lMyQjAxMTE2MTAzNzIwMjc2Wj
- 1 2 3 4 5 Hamilton, Martha M. (April 3, 2016). "Panamanian Law Firm Is Gatekeeper To Vast Flow of Murky Offshore Secrets". International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ↑ Tobin, Andrew. "Law firm at heart of 'Panama Papers' leak owned by Nazi's son". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- 1 2 Graham, David A. (4 April 2016). "What Is Mossack Fonseca, the Law Firm in the Panama Papers?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ↑ http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.de/articles/56f2c00da1bb8d3c3495aa0a/
- 1 2 "Jurgen Mossack : Mossdack Fonseca & Co, Panama". Chambersandpartners.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
- ↑ "Vicepresidente y Canciller Varela se reúne con el Consejo Nacional de Relaciones Exteriores". 21 Dec 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ↑ "DEPARTAMENTO CONSULAR DE LA DGPE MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES GUIA CONSULAR (actualizada al 6 de abril 2016)" (PDF). MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES. MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES panama. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ↑ "DEPARTAMENTO CONSULAR DE LA DGPE MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES GUIA CONSULAR (AGOSTO 2013)" (PDF). MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES. MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES panama. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ↑ "DEPARTAMENTO CONSULAR DE LA DGPE MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES GUIA CONSULAR (Febrero 2011)" (PDF). MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES. MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES panama. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ↑ http://www.wsj.com/article_email/co-founder-of-mossack-fonseca-defends-law-firm-1460004583-lMyQjAxMTE2MTAzNzIwMjc2Wj
- ↑ "The Latest: Venezuela to Probe Citizens in 'Panama Papers'". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ↑ León, Guadalupe (7 April 2016). "Jürgen Mossack renunció al Consejo Nacional de Relaciones Exteriores". La Estrella de Panamá. La Estrella de Panamá. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ↑ teamelanpanama (29 July 2014) Andrea & Nicole Mossack YouTube, retrieved 5 April 2016
- ↑ Staff (21 November 2003) Hermanas Mossack se destacan La Prensa / Deportes, retrieved 5 April 2016
- ↑ Martha Hamilton (1 April 2016) Papeles de Panamá-Mossack Fonseca, un bufete global Univision, retrieved 5 April 2016, "Club Unión, donde su hija Nicole celebró sus quince años en 2008."
- ↑ Staff (28 July 2015),Concierto de la Sinfonía de las Américas, Nicole Mossack y Tomás Altamirano La Prensa-Sociales, retrieved 5 April 2016
