Sueddeutsche Zeitung Refuses to Hand Over ‘Panama Leaks’ to Authorities

Sueddeutsche Zeitung ('South German Newspaper') has refused to provide the 'Panama Leaks' documents to German authorities, citing its intention to protect its source, the media outlet's chief editor said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The German Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, that published last week the so-called Panama Papers leak that allegedly exposed offshore financial activities of some of the world's most influential people, refused to hand over the papers to German authorities, citing an intention to protect the source, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung chief editor said Friday.

On Sunday, Sueddeutsche Zeitung exposed the alleged involvement of a number of former and current world leaders in offshore schemes by publishing materials it claimed came from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama firm selling offshore companies.

According to Wolfgang Krach, the newspaper’s source fears for his life now after the alleged documents have been published.

"If we stop protecting our informants, it will be the end of the investigative journalism. Then there will be no second part of the Panama papers," Wolfgang Krach said, speaking on the ZDF channel.

Krach added that his paper is ready to "almost at any cost" protect its informant, as it was his or her's main request.

Mossack Fonseca has refused to validate the information contained in the leaks and accused reporters of gaining unauthorized access to its proprietary documents. The Panamian company warned that using unlawfully-obtained data was a crime that it would not hesitate to punish by legal means.