Panama court acquits 28 implicated in Panama Papers and Operation Car Wash scandals

28 people who were implicated in the cases of the Panama Papers and Operation Car Wash were cleared of criminal charges on Friday, the Judicial Branch of Panama said.

A Panamanian court has acquitted 28 people charged with money laundering in cases linked to the Panama Papers and Operation Car Wash scandals. Judge Baloísa Marquínez ordered the lifting all the precautionary measures made against the defendants, who have not been named. She said one of the group had died during the process. The Panama Papers were a group of over 11 million leaked documents that were published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in 2016. The documents allegedly revealed a clandestine network involving associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and business ties between a member of FIFA’s ethics committee and men whom the United States had indicted for corruption. The papers referenced 12 current or former world leaders, as well as 128 other politicians and public officials. A court statement said that evidence collected in the case did not meet due process, casting doubt over its “authenticity and integrity.”