Panama - not only a canal but a source of leaked damning info :

Omigosh! My, my! Cream to this catty cat!

She was away from home and newspapers and TV for a couple of days and on her return, bang, she is thrust in the Panana Papers with TV showing the strip of land connecting North and South Americas, white. Maybe the colour of some persons who secreted hora salli and now will be exposed by the leaked data.

I can well imagine the shivers going down the spines of them who took financial shelter in offshore banking et al. As stated, Sri Lanka is featured too, in the leak! We await with bated breath the revelation of names, said to be business companies but there sure would be individuals too for some in our land exceeded in wealth the monetary holdings of business houses, reportedly.

As I note this down on Wednesday, April 6, Sri Lankans have not been mentioned but by the time you read this, the curiosity that is supposed to kill my kind may be satisfied with names and games they played. On the other hand, our ones may be safe, having trusted more the desert types.

‘The biggest leak in the history of data journalism’ screamed headlines. “An investigation published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ), a German newspaper – Suddentsche Zetung – and other news organisations around the globe, reveals offshore links of some of the world’s most prominent and influential people.”

Source

Ian Cameron is one – father of the British PM; Putin’s close associates are in it and the Prime Minister of Iceland has already resigned. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif’s relatives are in the net. The leak is large with 11.5 million documents based on data from IMF, World Bank and Central Banks of 139 countries which show that 21-32 trillion USDs are stashed away in tax havens. The period covered is from the 1970s to the spring of 2015.

How did this scam originate, if I may use the word scam to cover all the business deals put through with people’s money that they wanted to keep secret.

Jurgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca got into the offshore business by forming a law firm headquartered in Panama. They may have started clean since some of the monetary work they got into is legitimate. But they overstepped the mark when many of their clients turned out to be criminals, members of the mafia and corrupt heads of State and their associates; with 12 national leaders and 143 politicians involved.

They aided and abetted tax evasion and money laundering, offering anonymous shell companies for as little as USD 1,000. They soon became the fourth largest offshore law firm, hiding the true owners of the money, its origin and avoiding paying taxes on the money.

Then the German newspaper and ICIJ got curious, started sniffing around, analysed and verified a few documents that leaked. Next came the deluge of leaked documents.

Who will be caught?

It is said that the impact of the leaks may be limited in least-developed countries. Is Sri Lanka least developed? This cat thought we were classed as developing. So if there is incriminating evidence of Sri Lankan companies or individuals having used the services of Mossack Fonseca, it will be out soon.

Hence this lean cat’s delight that high flying, dishonest Sri Lankans will get caught. If you steal or do wrong you have to pay for it, very often in this life itself. This feline believes in the eternal truth of every action has a reaction; tit for tat sort of; and one has to pay for one’s sins.

See how the boomerang effect demonstrated itself on two Joint Opposition big guns. Messrs Gamanpila and Bandula Goonewardena went to Geneva to supposedly sneak on yahapalanaya.

Earlier they dashed coconuts at Seenigama and other places. Was it as a competition to test the strength of each throwing wrist or dashing arm? Not on your life!

They were sending curses along with the coconut water that flowed. They wished others ill. This feline could not believe her eyes that coconuts which are so expensive and hardly affordable by the less affluent were just dashed and wasted.

So the duo went to Geneva. Lo and behold their bags did not come along the circling belt to be retrieved. Did they have to stay in their hotel rooms dressed in towels or were the bags carried so far away that they needed to do shopping?

Whatever said and done, it is a bothersome nuisance losing your baggage. Gamanpila also took a toss at a huge rally of the Jt Op. Learn your lessons seemed to be the message of a divine being that saved him from broken bones and injured muscles.

Festive time is here again

Let’s get away from talking of politics and politicians. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is almost upon us. Have you, dear reader, done your avurudhu shopping of gifts for others and indulgences for yourself? I have not even peeped into a shop nor walked along a hawker-ridden pavement.

It’s too hot to think of going out; creature comforts of staying home are more important than walking from shop to shop. True feline! So Menika stays home and connects with friends and relatives via email. But come the day of the old year slipping out making room for the new, Menika will rush around remembering this old retainer and that helper who need to be given presents. After all Sinhala Avurudha comes but once a year. She’ll also buy some kavun and kokis and munch and crunch away as the country goes into holiday mode and laissez faire.

So it’s subha pethum for a fine avurudha for you with joyful family gatherings and good eating, in spite of the heat and high prices of groceries and vegetables.

- Menika