NEW DELHI

The so-called Pandora Papers include no information on the "secret riches" of those close to President Vladimir Putin, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who added that there is no information about the "hidden wealth" of people close to Putin. 

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"There, to be honest, we did not see any hidden wealth of Putin's inner circle. I do not know. It seems like the publication will continue there, but so far we have not seen anything special. Let's just say that the work of this organisation is also well known to us. We do not know where they get information from or how they get information, " Peskov told reporters.

Also Read | Pandora Papers: Largest leak of offshore data in history explained

The Kremlin spokesman also said that the publication contains a set of "unfounded statements."

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"It is just not clear what this information is, what it’s about, there are many things that raise questions, so it is not clear how you can trust this information. Initially, something should appear, while we are talking about some such statements, it is not clear what they are based on and, of course, this is not a reason for any investigations, there should be some serious publication before," Peskov added.

Also read | Shakira to Sachin Tendulkar: Famous names emerge in the investigation of Pandora Papers

Despite its promises to combat corruption and money laundering, the Pandora Papers demonstrate that the United States remains the world's greatest tax haven, according to Peskov. 

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"Probably, the only thing that really catches the eye is the revelation of which country is the world's largest offshore and tax haven. This is certainly the US. This does not quite match the claims about the intention to fight corruption, tax evasion and money laundering. But this is the reality. We see that the US is the main tax haven for the whole world, " Peskov told reporters.

Putin's name does not appear in the files, despite the fact that the US accuses him of possessing a hidden fortune.

However, a few close acquaintances do, notably his childhood best friend, the late Petr Kolbin, whom opponents have referred to as a "wallet" for Putin's personal riches, and a lady with whom the Russian leader was apparently romantically involved. 

(With inputs from agencies)