Celebrities Named In Panama Papers Leak! Find Out Who Had Secret Tax Havens
May 11 2016, Published 2:09 p.m. ET
Emma Watson might want a real-life Harry Potter time-turner after she was outed in the most recent Panama Papers leak on Monday.
The 26-year-old actress's name was spotted by the British Magazine The Spectator after The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published information regarding approximately 200,000 offshore corporations online Monday evening.
Watson is said to be a shareholder in in one of the companies, and it was reported by The Times of London that the actress used Falling Leaves Ltd to purchase a 2.8 million pound ($4 million) home in London in 2013.
Watson's spokesperson insisted that the actress receives "no tax or monetary advantages from this offshore company" and that she set up the company "for the sole purpose of protecting her anonymity and safety."
The spokesman went on to tell The Spectator that "U.K. companies are required to publicly publish details of their shareholders and therefore do not give Watson the necessary anonymity required to protect her personal safety, which has been jeopardised in the past owing to such information being publicly available."
There is nothing illegal about being named as a shareholder in an offshore company. But the previous Panama Papers leak exposed how celebrities, businesses, and leaders can use offshore companies as tax havens to hide their wealth from tax authorities in their home countries. There is no proof Watson did that.
Watson is not the only high-profile name to be outed in the Panama Papers. Others include actor Jackie Chan, soccer star Lionel Messi and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
One burning question remains: Would Hermoine Granger approve?