Aides to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen set up offshore system to ‘get money out of France’, Panama Papers reveal
National Front aides set up system ‘to hide cash from French authorities’
Sent funds to Hong Kong, Singapore, British Virgin Islands and Panama
Key figure ‘withdrew £250,000 from a company to move it out of France’
Money took a complex route involving the acquisition of a shell company
By SIMON TOMLINSON
DailyMail.com
5 April 2016
Aides to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen put in place a ‘sophisticated offshore system’ to hide cash from anti-money laundering authorities, it was claimed today.
The allegations are the latest to emerge from the Panama Papers, a treasure trove of 11million leaked documents naming world leaders and celebrities who have used tax havens over the last 40 years.
The system, which sent funds to Hong Kong, Singapore, the British Virgin Islands and Panama, was created to help the French National Front (FN) hide hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Le Monde newspaper claims the FN’s aim was ‘to get money out of France, through shell companies and false invoices, to evade French anti-money-laundering authorities.’
One of the key figures in the system is Frederic Chatillon, head of a company called Riwal which carried out communications work for some of the party’s candidates, the report said.
‘In 2012, just after the presidential election, Frederic Chatillon… made arrangements to withdraw €316,000 (£250,000) from Riwal and to move it out of France,’ Le Monde said.
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