No one knows the anonymous source behind the largest leak in the history of journalism, but aparently this person is ready to step forward. This past Friday the whistle blower behind the Panama Papers wrote an open manifesto the German news paper Süddeutsche Zeitung, the original source publishing the leak, outlining their desire to step forward and work with law enforcement in exchange for protection and immunity.
The source did not give any further insight into their identity other than explicitly denying any affiliation to espionage agencies or US intelligence. Directly stating “for the record, I do not work for any government or intelligence agency, directly or as a contractor, and I never have.”
As for why the Whistle blower stepped forward? They say that income inequality around the world is the primary reason for their actions, that despite the fact everyone has been well aware of the problem, income inequality in our modern time has only accelerated and “raged for years, with politicians, academics and activists alike helpless to stop its steady growth.” Going on to explain that they decided to leak the documents “not for any specific political purpose, but simply because I understood enough about their contents to realize the scale of the injustices they described.” John Doe states that “Banks, financial regulators and tax authorities have failed…The media has failed…But most of all, the legal profession has failed.” This is why they took matters into their own hands.
The manifesto goes on the read how “Mossack Fonseca used its influence to write and bend laws worldwide to favour the interests of criminals over a period of decades.” Noting that “although shell companies are not illegal by definition, they are used to carry out a wide array of serious crimes that go beyond evading taxes” – crimes that must be accounted for. “The law firm, its founders, and employees actually did knowingly violate myriad laws worldwide, repeatedly….They should all be prosecuted accordingly with no special treatment.”
This however is the catch, the whole reason for releasing the manifesto. See, the media outlets who got their hands on the documents are sheltered and have no obligation to hand out the original records. News sources have also stated they have no intention to do so. But for any of the crimes revealed in the Panama Papers to be prosecuted and upheld in court, the courts must first have access to the original documents specifically. As John Doe writes, “In the end, thousands of prosecutions could stem from the Panama Papers, if only law enforcement could access and evaluate the actual documents. ICIJ and its partner publications have rightly stated that they will not provide them to law enforcement agencies. I, however, would be willing to cooperate with law enforcement to the extent that I am able.”
But John Doe says they are not willing to step forward at the present moment in time because they have “watched as one after another, whistleblowers and activists in the United States and Europe have had their lives destroyed by the circumstances they find themselves in after shining a light on obvious wrongdoing.” Going on to point out how in exchange for his bravery that Edward Snowden is currently exiled in Moscow, potentially facing charges of treason if captured- a capitol crime punishable by death. John Doe refuses to encounter a similar fate or anything worse.
Similar to the struggles Snowden faced for his actions, the manifesto goes on to reference the cases of Bradley Birkenfeld and Antoine Deltour as further examples of how whistle blowers have been mistreated by the system. “Legitimate whistleblowers who expose unquestionable wrongdoing, whether insiders or outsiders, deserve immunity from government retribution, full stop…I call on the European Commission, the British Parliament, the United States Congress, and all nations to take swift action not only to protect whistleblowers, but to put an end to the global abuse of corporate registers.”
Going on to mentioned that “he [Snowdan] deserves a hero’s welcome and a substantial prize, not banishment.” Likely John Doe believes ‘he’ deserves the same. Until these fundamental protections/demands are provided, John Doe will not step forward to release their identity or the original records.
The Panama Papers has already seen unprecedented political backlash, global protests and prime ministers have already stepped down. Thousands more arrests could be made in conjunction with this leak. This is why is important on all of us – journalists, citizens and activists alike – to put public pressure on our governments to provide protections to whistle blowers – such as John Doe. So that all of these banks, corporations, CEO’s and corrupt practitioners can finally be brought to justice. Not just for this case, but for the betterment of the future of the world.
Read The Full Manifesto Here: http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.de/articles/572c897a5632a39742ed34ef/
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