In an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel that was published on Saturday, the source of the "Panama Papers," which exposed widespread tax evasion and fraud of significant proportions, expressed his fear of Russian retaliation. He claimed to have proof of financial malfeasance by high Russian officials and their friends that helped finance the war in Ukraine, and the magazine cited him using the moniker John Doe. When Spiegel questioned him if he was concerned for his safety, he responded, "It's a risk that I live with, given that the Russian government has expressed the fact that it wants me dead."

When John Doe was questioned by Spiegel regarding the use of tax havens by "strongmen in autocratic regimes," he mentioned the purported function they perform in Russia, where authorities deny breaking the law. "Putin is more of a threat to the United States than Hitler ever was, and shell companies are his best friend," he said of the Russian president.

As Putin's rockets hit shopping malls, shell firms are supporting the Russian military and killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.&nbsp;&nbsp;He claimed that unnamed corporations.&nbsp;By removing responsibility from society, we open the door to these horrors and more. But society cannot run without accountability.&nbsp;&nbsp;He said that a "John Doe" figure "who suffered a torture-induced head injury during the opening credits" had appeared in a two-part Panama Papers documentary that had been shown on the Russian state-funded channel RT. It wasn't subtle, he declared, no matter how absurd and ugly it was. As with the tragedies surrounding Daphne Caruana Galizia and Jan Kuciak, two investigative journalists assassinated in Malta and Slovakia, we have seen others with connections to offshore accounts and tax justice turn to murder.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/breaking-who-declares-monkeypox-a-global-health-emergency-500076">Monkeypox declared a global health emergency by WHO amid surge in cases</a>

John Doe stated he has no plans to step out from under the obscurity of the Panama Papers in what was billed as his first interview since their publication in 2016. It's impossible to conceive how it might ever be safe to identify myself given how many various international criminal organisations are mentioned in the Panama Papers, some of which have connections to governments, he said. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released a number of financial document breaches, including The Panama Papers (ICIJ). Their admissions led to the resignation of Iceland's prime minister and the overthrow of Pakistan's president.

(with inputs from agencies)

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In an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel that was published on Saturday, the source of the "Panama Papers," which exposed widespread tax evasion and fraud of significant proportions, expressed his fear of Russian retaliation.

In an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel that was published on Saturday, the source of the "Panama Papers," which exposed widespread tax evasion and fraud of significant proportions, expressed his fear of Russian retaliation. He claimed to have proof of financial malfeasance by high Russian officials and their friends that helped finance the war in Ukraine, and the magazine cited him using the moniker John Doe. When Spiegel questioned him if he was concerned for his safety, he responded, "It's a risk that I live with, given that the Russian government has expressed the fact that it wants me dead." When John Doe was questioned by Spiegel regarding the use of tax havens by "strongmen in autocratic regimes," he mentioned the purported function they perform in Russia, where authorities deny breaking the law. "Putin is more of a threat to the United States than Hitler ever was, and shell companies are his best friend," he said of the Russian president. As Putin's rockets hit shopping malls, shell firms are supporting the Russian military and killing innocent civilians in Ukraine. He claimed that unnamed corporations. By removing responsibility from society, we open the door to these horrors and more. But society cannot run without accountability. He said that a "John Doe" figure "who suffered a torture-induced head injury during the opening credits" had appeared in a two-part Panama Papers documentary that had been shown on the Russian state-funded channel RT. It wasn't subtle, he declared, no matter how absurd and ugly it was. As with the tragedies surrounding Daphne Caruana Galizia and Jan Kuciak, two investigative journalists assassinated in Malta and Slovakia, we have seen others with connections to offshore accounts and tax justice turn to murder. Also Read: Monkeypox declared a global health emergency by WHO amid surge in cases John Doe stated he has no plans to step out from under the obscurity of the Panama Papers in what was billed as his first interview since their publication in 2016. It's impossible to conceive how it might ever be safe to identify myself given how many various international criminal organisations are mentioned in the Panama Papers, some of which have connections to governments, he said. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released a number of financial document breaches, including The Panama Papers (ICIJ). Their admissions led to the resignation of Iceland's prime minister and the overthrow of Pakistan's president. (with inputs from agencies)

Whistleblower of 'Panama Papers' claims that Russia wants him 'dead'

April 3 in history: First mobile phone call, Panama paper leaks and lots more!

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/the-rise-and-fall-of-pakistans-nawaz-sharif-186358">Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif </a>will challenge his conviction in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case in the Islamabad High Court this week, his lawyer said on Sunday after the PML-N supremo was sentenced to seven years in jail for corruption.

Three cases - Avenfield properties case, Flagship Investment case and Al-Azizia Steel Mills case - were launched<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ousted-pakistan-pm-nawaz-sharif-shifted-to-kot-lakhpat-jail-in-lahore-186373"> against the Sharif family</a> by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 8, 2017, following a judgment by the Supreme Court that disqualified Sharif as prime minister in the high-profile Panama Papers case in July last year.

Last Monday, an anti-corruption court in Islamabad sentenced 68-year-old Sharif to seven years in jail in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case but acquitted him in the Flagship Investment case.

The accountability court had also imposed a fine of $ 2.5 million and 1.5 million pounds on Sharif.

"We have almost finalised the draft of the appeal against the verdict (against Sharif) and will file it in the Islamabad High Court this week," Sharif's lawyer Khwaja Haris told PTI. He said, "We are hopeful to get relief from the high court as there are many loopholes in the judgment of the accountability court".

Sharif's legal team also called on him at Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore on Saturday and discussed with him legal matters related to the appeal challenging the accountability court's verdict. They also met his daughter Maryam Nawaz at the Sharif's Jati Umra residence in Raiwind and discussed the case.

The accountability court had also barred Sharif from holding public office for 10 years after completing his sentence. It also ordered confiscation of his Hill Metal Establishment firm and issued perpetual warrants of arrest for his sons - Hussain and Hassan - who had been declared proclaimed offenders.

This was the second conviction of three-time prime minister Sharif this year, as he had been convicted for 10 years, along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz (seven years) and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar (one year), in the Avenfield case in July.

The Islamabad High Court had suspended their sentence and they were released on September 19 after spending 63 days in prison. The three corruption references were filed in the court against the Sharif family following revelations of their offshore holdings in the Panama Papers in 2016.

Sharif spent a night in Adialia jail in Rawalpindi after his conviction on Monday and was shifted to Kot Lakhpat jail the next day.

Sharif's younger brother and PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif is also incarcerated at the Kot Lakhpat jail in the Rs 14 billion Ashiyana Housing scam.

According to jail sources, both brothers meet each other as they are in the same barrack. Shahbaz, also the opposition leader in the National Assembly, will be shifted to Islamabad when the parliamentary session is underway.&nbsp;

The PML-N has expressed hope that Sharif will get relief from the high court as no corruption has been proven against him.

"According to our legal team the judgment of the accountability court is very weak and we have strong grounds to pin hopes to get relief from the high court," said PML-N senior leader and former federal minister Ahsan Iqbal.

He said in the Al-Azizia case "justice has not been served as there are many loopholes in the judgment".&nbsp;

Three cases - Avenfield properties case, Flagship Investment case and Al-Azizia Steel Mills case - were launched against the Sharif family by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 8, 2017.

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif will challenge his conviction in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case in the Islamabad High Court this week, his lawyer said on Sunday after the PML-N supremo was sentenced to seven years in jail for corruption. Three cases - Avenfield properties case, Flagship Investment case and Al-Azizia Steel Mills case - were launched against the Sharif family by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 8, 2017, following a judgment by the Supreme Court that disqualified Sharif as prime minister in the high-profile Panama Papers case in July last year. Last Monday, an anti-corruption court in Islamabad sentenced 68-year-old Sharif to seven years in jail in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case but acquitted him in the Flagship Investment case. The accountability court had also imposed a fine of $ 2.5 million and 1.5 million pounds on Sharif. "We have almost finalised the draft of the appeal against the verdict (against Sharif) and will file it in the Islamabad High Court this week," Sharif's lawyer Khwaja Haris told PTI. He said, "We are hopeful to get relief from the high court as there are many loopholes in the judgment of the accountability court". Sharif's legal team also called on him at Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore on Saturday and discussed with him legal matters related to the appeal challenging the accountability court's verdict. They also met his daughter Maryam Nawaz at the Sharif's Jati Umra residence in Raiwind and discussed the case. The accountability court had also barred Sharif from holding public office for 10 years after completing his sentence. It also ordered confiscation of his Hill Metal Establishment firm and issued perpetual warrants of arrest for his sons - Hussain and Hassan - who had been declared proclaimed offenders. This was the second conviction of three-time prime minister Sharif this year, as he had been convicted for 10 years, along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz (seven years) and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar (one year), in the Avenfield case in July. The Islamabad High Court had suspended their sentence and they were released on September 19 after spending 63 days in prison. The three corruption references were filed in the court against the Sharif family following revelations of their offshore holdings in the Panama Papers in 2016. Sharif spent a night in Adialia jail in Rawalpindi after his conviction on Monday and was shifted to Kot Lakhpat jail the next day. Sharif's younger brother and PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif is also incarcerated at the Kot Lakhpat jail in the Rs 14 billion Ashiyana Housing scam. According to jail sources, both brothers meet each other as they are in the same barrack. Shahbaz, also the opposition leader in the National Assembly, will be shifted to Islamabad when the parliamentary session is underway. The PML-N has expressed hope that Sharif will get relief from the high court as no corruption has been proven against him. "According to our legal team the judgment of the accountability court is very weak and we have strong grounds to pin hopes to get relief from the high court," said PML-N senior leader and former federal minister Ahsan Iqbal. He said in the Al-Azizia case "justice has not been served as there are many loopholes in the judgment".

Ousted Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to challenge conviction in graft case