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The Panama-based
law firm is at the center of the "Panama Papers" leaks scandal
that has embarrassed several world leaders and shone a spotlight
on the shadowy world of offshore companies.
The national police, in an earlier statement, said they were
searching for documentation that "would establish the possible
use of the firm for illicit activities." The firm has been
accused of tax evasion and fraud.
Police offers and patrol cars began gathering around the
company's building in the afternoon under the command of
prosecutor Javier Caravallo, who specializes in organized crime
and money laundering.
Mossack Fonseca, which specializes in setting up offshore
companies, did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Earlier, founding partner Ramon Fonseca said the company had
broken no laws, destroyed no documents, and all its operations
were legal.
Governments across the world have begun investigating possible
financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful after the leak of
more than 11.5 million documents, dubbed the Panama Papers, from
the law firm that span four decades.
The papers have revealed financial arrangements of prominent
figures, including friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin,
relatives of the prime ministers of Britain and Pakistan and of
China's President Xi Jinping, and the president of Ukraine.
(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Anna Yukhananov; Editing
by G Crosse and Ryan Woo)
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