Last year, it was Swiss Leaks, a global list with over 1,100 Indians holding secret bank accounts in HSBC Geneva, which shaped the debate over black money parked overseas. Now, it’s the Panama papers (“ >Centre orders probe against Indians linked to tax havens ”, April 5). The revelations are a chance for the BJP government to translate its promise of unearthing black money. The list of Indians — some of them so-called “role models” and “brand ambassadors” for us in India such as Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai — is an eye-opener.
M. Govindaraj,
Gudiyatham, Tamil Nadu
Given the appallingly slow pace of investigations into how the rich and the famous use tax havens to hide their wealth, one wonders whether the latest disclosures would eventually lead to the offenders facing the music. These are not simple cases of tax evasion. Finding out the sources of funding of such offshore investments is equally important as such money could also be used in money laundering.
S.K. Choudhury,
Bengaluru
The news that some of the “leading lights” of India figure in the papers shows how corruption has exponentially increased in the liberalised Indian economy. The Modi government has not done anything exemplary to look into the issue of black money and it remains to be seen what the Prime Minister intends to do.
K.P. Prabhakaran Nair,
Kozhikode
For any effective investigation to take place it is imperative to make the findings of the agency transparent and free of political influence. For this the government requires strong political will as there appear to be heavyweights on the list. The government must also closely cooperate with international groups to build a global network that cracks down on money laundering.
Gagan Pratap Singh,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh
