300 Indians stashed wealth in secret offshore accounts: ICJ

(New Delhi); Names of 300 Indians including Anil Ambani and Nirav Modi’s sister appeared in a list of global elites who have stashed away "billions of dollars" in offshore accounts, according to an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The 'Pandora Papers' investigation published Sunday revealed names including King of Jordan, the president of Ukraine, Kenya and Ecuador, the prime minister of Czech Republic and former British prime minister Tony Blair and other heads of states, business figures, members of parliaments.

Others who figure in the list include Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s inner circle such as cabinet ministers and military leaders. However, Khan wasn’t linked to the expose directly.

The ICJ investigation, which involved BBC, the Guardian, the Indian Express among 150 media outlets around the world, claimed to have unearthed a cache of 11.9 million confidential files revealing secret dealings of the global elite.

The investigation also names cricket star Sachin Tendulkar, Italian mobster ‘Lell the Fat One’, supermodel Claudia Schiffer and pop icon Shakira.

"Tendulkar's attorney said the cricket player's investment is legitimate and has been declared to tax authorities. Shakira's attorney said the singer declared her companies, which the attorney said do not provide tax advantages. Schiffer's representatives said the supermodel correctly pays her taxes in the UK, where she lives," the report added.

According to an Indian Express report, businessman Anil Ambani has 18 asset holding offshore companies despite declaring bankruptcy in a British court.

Also, fugitive economic offender Nirav Modi’s sister set up a trust just a month before the tainted diamantaire fled India.

The Express also reported that several Indians who owned offshore entitled opted for a reorganisation of their assets after the ICJ leak dubbed 'Panama Papers' in 2016.

The report says Tendulkar liquidated such assets in the wake of the 2016 expose.

The report names 6 Indian 7 Pakistani politicians among those who stashed their riches in secret hidden accounts or companies.

The 2016 leak by ICIJ led to the ouster of heads of states in Iceland and Pakistan.