The "Panama Papers" scandal based on leaked information from the law firm Mossack Fonseca has revealed many tax evasion cases of famous and powerful figures.

The company was founded 30 years ago by Jurgen Mossack, a German, and Ramon Fonseca Mora, a Panamanian. Here is some information about the founders and the company.

Mossack Fonseca is headquartered in Panama. (Source: geopolitics.co)

1. Mossack was the son of a Nazi SS officer.

According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Jurgen Mossack was born in Furth, Bavaria in 1949, then moved to Panama with his family and grew up there.

Mossack’s father served in Hitler’s SS during World War II, and offered to spy for the US government on “Nazis who had turned communist, or who remained loyal to the Nazis and were posing as communists” as well as communist activity in Cuba after the war, according to US intelligence files obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

Jurgen Mossack studied law at the University of Santa Maria La Antigua, graduating in 1973. He also studied law in London.

2. Fonseca is a political leader and an award-winning novelist.

Ramon Fonseca, 63, a Panamanian, studied law and political science at the University of Panama, then went to the London School of Economics and Political Science.

He worked at the United Nations headquarters in Switzerland before opening his own law firm. Fonseca also entered politics as a leader of the Panamenista party. He has retired from politics because of the Panama Papers investigation, according to ICIJ.

In addition to his work at Mossack Fonseca and his political activism, Fonseca is also an award-winning novelist. He has written four novels, as well as numerous plays and short stories, and has twice won the Ricardo Miró Prize, Panama's national literary award.

3. Mossack and Fonseca merged their companies in 1986

Mossack opened his law firm in 1977, then merged with Fonseca in 1983. The firm's operations grew rapidly. According to the firm's website, Mossack Fonseca has more than 500 employees on all continents, with more than 35 years of experience.

Mossack Fonseca’s lawyers specialize in “all areas of law,” including shipping, immigration, contracts, intellectual property, and general business law. The website also says the firm will help clients relocate to Panama and provide assistance with immigration issues and buying or renting real estate in Panama.

4. The Panama Papers include 11.5 million documents from the founding of Mossack Fonseca

According to ICIJ, the Panama Papers include 11.5 million documents containing information dating back to the founding of the law firm Mossack Fonseca in 1977. The leak led to an ICIJ investigation that “exposes a system that allows crime, corruption and illegality to be perpetrated and hidden behind secret offshore companies.”

The Mossack Fonseca documents include “offshore assets of drug lords, Mafia members, corrupt politicians and tax evaders.”

5. Mossack Fonseca is linked to Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero

According to internal company emails, Jurgen Mossack was registered as the representative and listed as a director of a company controlled by Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero.

One of the leaders of the Guadalajara drug cartel, Quintero was convicted in 1985 in Mexico for the brutal massacre of US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

Quintero is still considered a fugitive by the US government after being released from prison in 2013.

6. Mossack Fonseca tried to cover up its connection to a massive corruption case in the state of Nevada

In 2013, an Argentine prosecutor filed a report on the links between shell companies involved in a massive corruption scandal and Mossack Fonseca. Leaked documents show that when the shell companies were brought before a federal court in Nevada, Mossack Fonseca attempted to erase paper records, computer files, and call logs from its Las Vegas office.

One of the company’s employees even flew from Central America to Nevada to retrieve the files. The leaked files also contained information that contradicted the sworn testimony of Jurgen Mossack, who testified in federal court that his company had no connection to “MF Nevada” and had never done business in Nevada.

However, the ICIJ investigation shows that Mossack Fonseca's headquarters in Panama has control over MF Nevada's bank accounts, and the company's two founders and another executive own 100% of MF Nevada./.

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