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Offshore Leaks Database

Data from
Panama Papers - The Power Players
Ex-prime minister of Iraq

Ayad Allawi

Firms created in Panama held property in London

Related to

Iraq United Kingdom

About

Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite born to privilege, was active in Iraq’s ruling Baath Party until 1971, when he settled in London where he developed ties with both the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Britain’s M16 . In exile, he opposed Saddam Hussein, helped found an opposition party and survived a 1978 assassination attempt, which was widely believed to have been ordered by Hussein. Returning to Iraq, he was named prime minister in 2004 after the American-led coalition ended Hussein’s rule. Allawi has been active in Iraqi politics since, serving as vice president from 2014 until August, 2015 .

In the data

Mossack Fonseca supplied his 1985 Panama-registered company I.M.F. Holdings Inc. with people who stood in for Allawi as directors. He was listed as the sole shareholder in 2000. Until its dissolution in 2013, I.M.F. owned a house in Kingston upon Thames, England . As of April 2013 the property appeared under the name of Allawi and had an estimated value of about $1.5 million . Allawi’s other offshore company, Moonlight Estates Limited, also held a property in London on his behalf . Documents for this BVI-registered entity identify the source of funds as personal savings.

Response

Allawi's media office confirmed that he "is the sole director and shareholder of Foxwood Estates Limited, Moonlight Estates Limited and IMF Holdings Inc." The email noted that IMF was established to own residential property purchased with Allawi's personal assets based on security and legal advice "in light of an assassination attempt on him." It also said that "any income generated in the United Kingdom from the properties owned by the companies has been properly accounted for" and "taxes have been paid promptly and on time."
This visualization contains relevant information in relation to the profiled individual. Some additional connections might show up once we release the full structured data connected to the Paradise Papers investigation in the coming weeks.

Disclaimer

There are legitimate uses for offshore companies and trusts. The inclusion of a person or entity in the ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database is not intended to suggest or imply that they have engaged in illegal or improper conduct. Many people and entities have the same or similar names. We suggest you confirm the identities of any individuals or entities included in the database based on addresses or other identifiable information. The data comes directly from the leaked files ICIJ has received in connection with various investigations and each dataset encompasses a defined time period specified in the database. Some information may have changed over time. Please contact us if you find an error in the database.

There are legitimate uses for offshore companies and trusts. Read more