From 9:00 a.m. next Monday, April 8, the First Court of Criminal Cases will hold the trial of 27 people accused of the crime of money laundering in the so-called Panama Papers case.

The file, which consists of 528 volumes, involves directors of the law firm Mossack Fonseca and is derived from a journalistic investigation published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) carried out in 2016. It is mentioned that the firm facilitated the creation of offshore companies that were later used for money laundering activities.

Through Auto Vario 137 of July 21, 2023, the second judge who liquidates criminal cases, Baloisa Marquínez, decided to accumulate the Panama Papers and Lava Jato files in a single case, since they have similarities in the accused people and in the activities investigated by the Public Ministry.

In both cases, the irregular movement of funds through offshore companies in Germany, Brazil and Argentina that were created by the firm Mossack Fonseca is being investigated.

Among the defendants in both cases are the former directors of Mossack Fonseca Jurgen Mossak, Ramón Fonseca Mora, lawyer Ramsés Owen, Edison Teano, María Mercedes Riaño, Sandra Alejandrina Naranjo, Luis Adonay Martínez, George Allen, Leticia Montoya, Rey Franklin Taylor, among others.

Judge Marquínez ordered the assignment of ex officio defenders for the accused, in the event that private lawyers do not show up for trial.

He has also arranged the transmission of the trial through the YouTube channel of the Judicial Body and the establishment of a room so that the media can follow up on it.

The Panama Papers scandal caused the opening of investigations in several countries for the concealment of large sums of money of dubious origin and that used the services of the firm Mossack-Fonseca.