Over a year ago, an anonymous source contacted the Süddeutsche Zeitung and submitted encrypted internal documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm that sells anonymous offshore companies around the world. Reportedly, the leaked list called ‘Panama Papers’ contains several renowned Indian names including the ones of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. A while ago, a leading daily carried an article about it, to which Big B responded with this statement:
I do not know any of the companies referred to by Indian Express – Sea Bulk Shipping Company Ltd, Lady Shipping Ltd, Treasure Shipping Ltd, and Tramp Shipping Ltd. I have never been a director of any of the above stated companies. It is possible that my name has been misused… I have paid all my taxes including on monies spent by me overseas. Monies that I have remitted overseas have been in compliance with law, including remittances through Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), after paying Indian taxes. In any event the news report in Indian Express does not even suggest any illegality on my part.
And today, at the trailer launch of Sarabjit, Aishwarya was quizzed about the Panama Papers. She replied referring to Sr. Bachchan’s statement, “The statement has been made to all of you already. Hope you all are aware about it.”
When she was probed further about it, she lost her cool and lashed out at the reporter saying, “Why are you acting so desperate? You are the only one asking for it.”