Links Jun 5

Daphne Caruana Galizia: Murder investigation in serious danger Sven Giegold

$12 trillion of ‘phantom investment’ disappears into corporate shells The Telegraph

A radical proposal to fight poverty in the developing world: tax the rich more than the poor Vox

Singapore: not always as clean as it looks Asia Times
‘Singapore ranks at No 5 on the 2018 Financial Secrecy Index compiled by the Tax Justice Network … This is one comparative ranking, obviously, on which countries do not want to top the list.‘

Have the Biggest U.S. Banks Become Less Complex? Federal Reserve Bank of New York / Liberty Street Economics
Cites TJN’s Financial Secrecy Index. See also: Why the big US banks are still dangerous Neue Zürcher Zeitung (In German)

Apple refuses testimony before EU tax committee: Apple’s refusal is phony Sven Giegold

Tajikistan: Money by Marriage OCCRP
An OCCRP investigation show how unlimited political power leads to business success in one of Central Asia’s poorest countries.

Millions in Baltic Scandal Frozen at Swiss bank Julius Baer finews
‘ … liquidator accuses Julius Baer of not adequately checking the source and cleanliness of the money‘

Oligarch Hits Back at Swiss Banks finews

Italy: The League caught up in an offshore scandal L’espresso (In Italian)
‘The League is part of the Italian coalition government sharing power with the Five Star Movement.

Opaque UK-owned company obtains controversial oil rights in UNESCO park in Democratic Republic of Congo Global Witness

The financial scandal no one is talking about The Guardian
‘Have the ‘big four’ firms become too cosy with the system they’re supposed to be keeping in check?‘

The unsavoury alliance between oligarchs and London’s top lawyers The Guardian