At 18:00 GMT on Sunday 5 November 2017, I, like many others
living in offshore financial centres (OFCs), was poised to review
the publication of the "Paradise Papers", which the
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) had
promised would include startling revelations about the use of
so-called "tax havens" by wealthy individuals and
corporations, following a data breach at leading offshore law firm,
Appleby.
"Is that it?" was the initial reaction.
There were several examples of famous persons and corporations
using offshore trusts and corporations for entirely legal –
and well-known - tax mitigation purposes (the morality of which is
open to debate), but no evidence of anyone doing anything illegal.
Amongst all the voyeurism, it was overlooked that the
"Paradise Papers" themselves were stolen property, much
of it private and legally privileged material pertaining to
individuals. Nor did the press seem to recognise the irony
that, whilst
