Following the Parliament’s decision to set up an inquiry committee into the ‘Panama Papers’, GUE/NGL can now reveal its nominations ahead of the vote today.

As was the case with the investigations into ‘Luxembourg Leaks’, the GUE/NGL group has been pushing for the same for ‘Panama Papers’.

GUE/NGL will nominate full members Fabio De Masi MEP as Vice-Chair, Patrick Le Hyaric MEP as coordinator and Miguel Urbán MEP as shadow rapporteur. Irish MEP Matt Carthy will also represent GUE/NGL as full member on the committee.

The group will be further represented by the following MEPs as substitute members: Miguel Viegas, Curzio Maltese, Marina Albiol and Stelios Kouloglou.

Ahead of the vote, Fabio De Masi, GUE/NGL coordinator in the ongoing TAX2 committee commented:

“We will respond to the organised crime of the rich and powerful. This investigation is not only about the ‘Panama Papers’ but also the dirty laundry in our own backyard.”

“Money-laundering, tax evasion and tax avoidance are intimately connected with our battle against the disastrous austerity regime in the EU which takes from the 99% and rewards the 1%,” he said.

“We urgently need reforms in areas including closing loopholes in the EU’s anti-money laundering directive – which allows the circumvention of transparency requirements via nominee directors far too easily.”

“We also need bold and comprehensive sanctions against those who evade taxes or provide the financial and legal tools to do so.”

“Furthermore, GUE/NGL will continue to pursue its lawsuit against the European Commission for full access to documents from the Council’s taxation Code of Conduct Group.”

“We will leave no stone unturned with what we started in the TAXE committee,” he concluded.