Pandora papers leak: How Sachin Tendulkar, his family members are linked to report; attorney says ‘investment is legitimate’

Nearly 12 million documents, 600 journalists, 2.94TB of confidential information, 14 offshore service providers and one cumulated bombshell report that has opened Pandora’s box of information on secret wealth and financial dealings of the world’s rich and powerful. 

The report, dubbed as the ‘Pandora papers’, claims to uncover hidden wealth, tax avoidance and also some cases of money laundering by some of the prominent people, including current and former world leaders. 

Click here for LIVE updates on Pandora papers leak

Published by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on October 3, millions of leaked documents were assessed and analysed by worldwide journalistic collaboration, claiming to have uncovered financial secrets of current and former world leaders, politicians and public officials in 91 countries, including India. 

Pandora papers: 

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Russian President Vladimir Putin are notable names. Apart from the politicians, some other important names are Colombian singer Shakira, the German supermodel Claudia Schiffer and the Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. 

Here’s how Sachin Tendulkar is linked to the Pandora papers:

“People linked by the secret documents to offshore assets include India’s cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar, pop music diva Shakira, supermodel Claudia Schiffer and an Italian mobster known as ‘Lell the Fat One'”: A part of the report read. 

Providing further details on the same, one of the contributors — The Indian Express wrote, “Sports icon Sachin Tendulkar, for instance, asked for the liquidation of his entity in the British Virgin Islands just three months after the Panama Papers expose.” 

The above mentioned Indian media outlet has published detail of an alleged link between Pandora papers and the cricketer. It claims Sachin and some of his family members as Beneficial Owners of an offshore entity in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) which was liquidated in 2016. 

The report suggests that the investigation of records of Panama law firm Alcogal which are part of Pandora Papers, Sachin, wife Anjali Tendulkar and father-in-law Anand Mehta are named as BOs and Directors of a BVI-based company: Saas International Limited. 

The media outlet has mentioned Saas’ reference in the Pandora records, which dates back to 2007 and also attempts to highlight the not-yet-proved discrepancies involving buyback of the shares, valuing $8.6 million.

However, the ICIJ report added Tendulkar’s attorney comment as he said that the cricket player’s “investment is legitimate” and has been “declared to tax authorities”. 

Sachin Tendulkar has not reacted to the Pandora papers report yet. The alleged details are a matter of further investigation, hence, it would be irrational to make claims without concrete evidence and systematic official probe.