Stiglitz quits Panama Papers probe, cites lack of transparency

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The committee set up to investigate lack of transparency in Panama's financial system itself lacks transparency, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz told Reuters on Friday after resigning from the "Panama Papers" commission.

The leak in April of more than 11.5 million documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, dubbed the "Panama Papers," detailed financial information from offshore accounts and potential tax evasion by the rich and powerful.

Stiglitz and Swiss anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth joined a seven-member commission tasked with probing Panama's notoriously opaque financial system, but they say they found the government unwilling to back an open investigation.

Both quit the group on Friday after they say Panama refused to guarantee the committee's report would be made public.

"I thought the government was more committed, but obviously they're not," Stiglitz said. "It's amazing how they tried to undermine us."  (more...)

Stiglitz quits Panama Papers probe, cites lack of transparency

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