Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame among those listed in Panama Papers leak
Emma Watson’s name crops up in Panama Papers
Local Press Co 5-point Snippet
1. The Panama Papers leak brought to light how the rich stowed their money away through offshore companies in tax havens like Panama, Virgin Islands and Bahamas. Initial reports about the leak included the names of renowned figures like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vladimir Putin, Lionel Messi and Jackie Chan.
2. Further investigation has now revealed that beloved starlet Emma Watson aka Hermione Granger from popular Harry Potter series is also among those listed in the Panama Papers. Watson, reportedly, is a shareholder in the offshore company called Falling Leaves Ltd. set up by set up by law firm Mossack Fonseca.
3. The company comes under the jurisdiction of British Virgin Islands and its location has been listed as Georgia. A British publication also uncovered that the 26-year-old used the company to purchase a home in London worth $4 million (approx. Rs. 26 crore) in 2013.
4. A spokesperson for the actress confirmed her connection to the offshore company. The statement given by the spokesperson says, “Emma (like many high-profile individuals) set up an offshore company for the sole purpose of protecting her anonymity and safety. UK companies are required to publicly publish details of their shareholders and therefore do not give her the necessary anonymity required to protect her personal safety, which has been jeopardised in the past owing to such information being publicly available. Offshore companies do not publish these shareholder details. Emma receives absolutely no tax or monetary advantages from this offshore company whatsoever—only privacy.”
5. However, Emma herself has not spoken about the matter and is currently busy with charitable work as the UN’s Goodwill Ambassador.
