Pandora Papers: Piñera, Lasso and Abinader Deny All Allegations

On Monday, presidents Guillermo Lasso (Ecuador), Sebastian Piñera (Chile) and Luis Abinader (Dominican Republic) denied any involvement in the financial crimes that the "Pandora Papers" uncovered over the weekend.

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As a result of a journalistic investigation that took a year, the Pandora Papers detected the secret financial movements of over 300 public officials from 90 countries. These operations were aimed at hiding assets in tax havens.

One of the first to refute the accusations was Piñera. He assured that he did not participate in the Dominga mining megaproject, an operation in which he allegedly used an offshore account during a transaction that took place secretly in the British Virgin Islands.

Besides vowing that his patrimony results from his work at Banco de Guayaquil, the Ecuadorian President said that he does not have assets in tax havens. However, the Pandora Papers highlights he used the South Dakota tax heaven to make monthly payments to his family members.

The journalistic investigation also points out that the Dominican Republic president Abinader owned offshore companies in tax havens to avoid paying fees.

More specifically, between 2011 and 2014, he created Littlecot and Padreso, two companies that managed his family's assets from Panama.

In an attempt to defend Abidaner's image, the Dominican Presidency claimed that he detached himself from his family businesses before becoming President. By doing so, he would have preached through his own example during his "campaign against corruption.