Cameron Further Exposes Himself on ‘Panama Papers’ Scandal

Squirming under the spotlight of the ‘Panama Papers’ scandal on the British imperial “offshore” banking system and his own personal finances, Prime Minister David Cameron is further exposing himself. On a sudden crusade “against tax evasion,” Cameron on Sunday announced a commission to investigate the Panama Papers—headed by a lawyer whose firm advised Cameron’s father on setting up offshore dummy companies!

Cameron had to testify in the House of Commons Monday on the whole subject, and was attacked for allowing dirty money from these offshore havens to take over London real estate, one example of the tax evasion and money laundering by which London has victimized nations all over the world. When Labour MP Dennis Skinner called Cameron “Dodgy Dave,” the 84-year-old Member was ejected from the House by the Conservative Speaker.

Cameron has also suddenly proposed new legislation making companies criminally liable for the tax advice their employees give. But it is his “world-class investigative commission” which has drawn ridicule.

It involves the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Conduct Authority, both of which managed, for example, to miss the LIBOR-fixing conspiracy of Barclays and other major banks entirely. Cameron’s nominee to head the commission is Edward Troup, head of the Revenue & Customs (HMRC, the British “IRS”); he turned a blind eye to the entire Credit Suisse tax-evasion operation in Britain, exposed last year by whistleblowers.

Moreover, Troup is a senior lawyer ideologically opposed to all taxes! In a 1999 newspaper article, Troup described taxation as “legalized extortion.” His whole career was built on advising corporations on how to reduce their tax bills, before leaving Simmons & Simmons to join the civil service in 2004. And finally, Simmons and Simmons was the advisor, from 2001 while Troup was a partner, for Blairmore Partners, the set of dummy companies in the British Virgin Islands set up by Ian Cameron, the Prime Minister’s father, to handle the family’s wealth. The law firm’s name appears on dozens of emails and documents in the Panama Papers in connection with a number of companies registered with Mossack Fonseca, the offshore agent at the center of the scandal.

The Guardian determined that in its 30-year existence, Cameron’s Blairmore “has never paid a penny of tax in the U.K. on its profits.”

Official HMRC spokesperson said: “Before joining the civil service in 2004, Edward Troup had a successful career in the private sector, during the course of which he dealt with many companies…. Edward Troup’s role in HMRC has never involved responsibility for operational activities or direct dealings with companies on their tax affairs…”