Law Firm Raided, Founders Arrested, Tied to Bribery Investigation
February 17, 2017
On February 8, authorities in Panama raided the offices of a law firm at the center of the sprawling Panama Papers scandal, and arrested the firm’s founders. Reuters reports that Panama’s Attorney General announced on Twitter that the raid and arrests were tied to the investigation of the Brazilian construction company that in December reached a $3.5 billion combined global settlement with U.S., Brazilian, and Swiss authorities to resolve FCPA allegations. Until now, the investigations spawned by the 2016 release of millions of documents stolen from the law firm were focused on money laundering and tax evasion. The tie to the company’s investigation brings anti-bribery investigations into the mix.