As an attorney for the law firm at the heart of the Panama Papers was cleared in one case, the justice department announced a money laundering trial against 32 other defendants.

Thirty-two people will be prosecuted for their alleged involvement in money laundering in Panama following revelations made in the explosive Panama Papers investigation.

The trial was announced as transparency activists expressed concern over a separate Panamanian court ruling that they fear could hinder efforts to hold lawyers accountable in cases involving the offshore industry.

The Panamanian justice department said Tuesday that the trial of the unnamed 32 charged with “crimes against the public economic order” will be held on Nov. 15, 2022. News agencies AFP and EFE reported that Jüergen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca are among the defendants. Both men founded Mossack Fonseca, the influential Panamanian law firm whose 11.5 million leaked internal records formed the basis of the Panama Papers.

Led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the German outlet Süddeutsche Zeitung, the 2016 investigation involving more than 100 media partners around the globe exposed offshore financial secrets linked to world leaders, politicians, criminals and celebrities. More…