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The Panama Papers, which consist of millions of
documents stolen from Mossack Fonseca and leaked to the media in
2016, provoked a global scandal after showing how rich and
powerful clients including Russian President Vladimir Putin and
soccer superstar Lionel Messi used offshore corporations to
evade taxes.
Netflix's film "The Laundromat" stars Gary Oldman and Antonio
Banderas as the two Mossack Fonseca partners at the center of
the scandal, Jurgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca. It is scheduled
to be released on Friday.
"In its movie ... (Netflix) defames and portrays the plaintiffs
(Mossack and Fonseca) as ruthless uncaring lawyers who are
involved in money laundering, tax evasion, bribes and/or other
criminal conduct," Mossack Fonseca said in the 42-page lawsuit,
a copy of which was seen by Reuters.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. federal court in Connecticut on
Oct. 13. Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
In the official trailer for "The Laundromat," which co-stars
Meryl Streep as a widow investigating insurance fraud, the
following question is asked and answered in big, bold type: "How
do 15 million millionaires in 200 countries stay rich? With
lawyers like these."
The trailer then cuts to the elegantly dressed lawyers played by
Oldman and Banderas laughing uproariously.
Mossack Fonseca shut down last year after being accused by U.S.
prosecutors of helping clients conceal assets, investments and
income from government tax authorities using a wide range of
sham foundations and shell companies.
While Jurgen Mossack did not respond to requests for comment, a
source close to both lawyers told Reuters that they maintain
their position that the massive leak of the firm's internal
documents consisted of "information theft or hacking" that was
illegal.
Ramon Fonseca responded later on Wednesday and referred all
questions to his lawyer in the United States, who did not
respond to written questions.
(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by David Alire Garcia;
Editing by Alistair Bell & Shri Navaratnam)
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