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The Panama Papers

By: Frederik Obermaier, Bastian Obermayer
Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
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Summary

Late one evening, investigative journalist Bastian Obermayer receives an anonymous message offering him access to secret data. Through encrypted channels he then receives documents showing a mysterious bank transfer for $500,000,000 in gold. This is just the beginning.

Obermayer and fellow Süddeutsche Zeitung journalist Frederik Obermaier find themselves immersed in a secret world where complex networks of shell companies help to hide people who don't want to be found. Faced with the largest data leak in history, they activate an international network of journalists to follow every possible line of enquiry.

Operating for over a year in the strictest secrecy, they uncover a global elite living by a different set of rules: prime ministers, dictators, oligarchs, princelings, sports officials, big banks, arms smugglers, mafiosi, diamond miners, art dealers and celebrities. The real-life thriller behind the story of the century, The Panama Papers is an intense, pause-resisting account that blows their secret world wide open.

©2016 Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer (P)2016 Audible, Ltd
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Critic reviews

"The biggest leak in the history of data journalism." (Edward Snowden)
"This is the inside story of how governments, corporations and organised crime groups have used the secret world of offshore jurisdictions to engage in systematic cheating and thieving. It's an almost perfect tale for the 21st century - the failure of democracy, the triumph of commercial power and greed, greed, greed." (Nick Davies, special correspondent, Guardian)

What listeners say about The Panama Papers

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Fascinating, disturbing and a cause of outrage

Although potential readers might imagine that a book about tax evasion and financial corruption is going to be dry they could not be more wrong. The human story of the process of analysis, investigation and revelation is deeply engaging and often amusing. The greater understanding of how corrupt financial practices shape politics has me outraged, and wanting to do more to effect changes to reduce this criminal behaviour.

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Simon Shepherd does a great job

Fascinating insight into how the other half live. A dry subject brought to life by the authors style and great narration, he actually managed to pull off, surprise and outrage at the right moment in the sentence making it a very enjoyable listen.

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Essential learnings on criminal elites.

This book is essential reading for the 99% of us who won't take it any more and for the subset of the 1% who might have a conscience. Perhaps that will never include Amazon!
The biggest story to break in my lifetime, this is the story of brave journalists investigating the causes of famine, collapsed healthcare systems like ours, and crushing poverty. They unravel the story of their investigation like the crime thriller it is.
This and Treasure Islands by Nicholas Shaxson will make you feel inclined to revolt.
Meditate on the side, and you'll be OK. And certainly better informed!

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Easy to listen to and very interesting

Great listen very easy to listen to and understand enjoyed it and learned a lot

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So important

This is one of those titles you don’t expect to be choosing and putting on your list. But it caught my eye and I’m very glad to have listened to it. It opens your eyes to a whole other aspect of society, to just how bad a lot of the rich and powerful really are and what lengths they go to to avoid paying their fair contribution. An essential read or listen.

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Incredible book - should be read by every international tax professional

Go onto LinkedIn and read the comments of almost every international tax professional on new rules and regulations regarding tax transparency, minimum taxes, and the like. To all of these authors, I would say, educate yourself and read this book.

Business cannot be profitable without the infrastructure supporting such profits. E.g. roads to move things to be sold, schools to make Internet readers literate, the internet and other communication structures, financial systems to make money flow around, police and other security to keep society relatively safe, and hospitals to take care of the sick. Now either wage earners can continue to pay for the bulk of this, or those who literally benefit the most from this infrastructure (ie the rich and the powerful) can start paying their fair share, and wage earners can stop blindingly assisting them in not doing so. There sadly are still way too many intelligent, hard-working, people in the legal and tax services industries, who do not think, and need to take a step back to look at the bigger picture.

This book may help them in doing so.

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Very interesting

Fascinating book!
opened my eyes to so much. Will definitely read/listen again and share with family and friends.

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Fascinating

What a great listen..... shocking (although probably shouldn't be) how many rich people in power are not declaring their taxes and hiding behind shell companies. Brilliant work by the journalists and the bravery of them and John Doe to bring this to light

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mind blowing

I'm just so grateful to those who put themselves, their families and loved ones on danger to bring us these revelations

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Wow, what an eye opener!

An eye opener! What an incredible and well written story og brave men and women. A good performer too.

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