Finnish broadcaster fights taxman demand for Panama Papers

HELSINKI – Finnish broadcaster YLE says it won’t provide documents related to the Panama Papers to the country’s tax authority, which has demanded access to them in an apparent move to trace tax dodgers with offshore accounts.

YLE lawyer Kirsi-Marja Okkonen says they won’t comply with the request from the Finnish Tax Authority, which set an April 29 deadline for receiving the information. She said Monday that tax officials had also threatened to call on police to help them obtain the documents.

Okkonen said Monday that YLE will appeal to the Helsinki Administrative Court. It has until mid-July to do so.

The tax office move has been widely criticized in the Nordic country, which hosts World Press Freedom day this week with more than 1,000 media professionals expected to attend.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles