Panama Papers – it wasn't the RCF President!

Chess and the Panama Papers Scandal

We recently reported that British newspapers had reported on the connection between a financial explosion that detonated in recent months – and chess. The Panana Papers scandal emerged out of 11.5 million leaked documents (2.6 terabytes) that detailed financial and attorney–client information for more than 214,488 offshore entities. The leaked documents were created by Panamanian law firm and corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca; some dated back to the 1970s.

The Guardian linked the late World Champion Bobby Fischer to a Panama-based company just before his death in Iceland in 2008. Coincidentally, Iceland’s embattled prime minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, became the first major casualty of the Panama Papers scandal, stepping aside from his office amid mounting public outrage that his family had sheltered money offshore.

The Telegraph found Anatoly Karpov, legendary world champion from 1975 to 1985, listed in the leaked files of secret offshore companies as a director of a Cyprus-based. The newspater reported that there was no suggestion of illegality, and Karpov himself previously said that he had nothing to do with business in the offshore zones and called the allegations a mistake.

The Telegraph also said that FIDE Development CEO, Israeli business tycoon David Kaplan, was listed in the Panana Papers in connection with two British Virgin Islands-based companies linked to the FIDE. And finally the newspaper named Russian Chess Federation President Andrey Filatov, "a billionaire oligarch and key ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin" in connection with the Panama scandal.

We received press releases from the Russian Chess Federation denying the connection: "The false information referring to the Mossack Fonseca database has been published in the media without proper verification of its accuracy," they said, and turned the matter over to the international law firm Quinn Emanuel. RCF President Andrey Filatov continued: "As subjects of law, mass media are responsible for the accuracy of their publications, and are not entitled to infringe on anyone's rights or business reputation. The media should act in strict accordance with the law and refrain from informational arbitrariness. Any information that goes to press requires fact checking and a legal sign-off, even that being published in pursuit of the voguish Panamagate sensationalism." He said he intended to use all legal means available to him to defend his rights, interests and business reputation. The Russian Chess Federation warned that any attempt to further disseminate the misleading information would have legal consequences.

Now The Telegraph has corrected their initial report:

Update: An earlier version of this article said that Andrey Filatov, President of the Russian Chess Federation, was a director and shareholder of a company, Telecom Express Ltd, included in the Panama Papers. The Federation has told us that this company is linked with a completely different Andrey Filatov. We are happy to make this clear and apologise for the error.

And the Russian Chess Federation sent out the following release:

Links

• The Guardian: What you need to know about Panama Papers
• The Guardian: Exposing offshore dealings of stars
• The Telegraph: Chess drawn into Panama Paper Scandal
• Huffington Post: Panama Papers Leak
• ICIG searchable Offshore Leaks Database