The “Pandora papers” ensnare a Czech leader and a Dutch minister

POLITICIANS’ PRIVATE finances are a big political issue in central Europe, as Andrej Babis well knows. Mr Babis, a billionaire who is prime minister of the Czech Republic, faces a general election on October 8th and 9th. A week before it, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a reporters’ alliance, released an extravaganza of leaks from 14 financial firms, which it called the “Pandora Papers”. It charges that Mr Babis transferred $22m through shell companies in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a tax haven, in order to buy a villa near Cannes anonymously. Mr Babis was already facing years-long investigations over alleged conflicts of interest and improper receipt of EU subsidies by Agrofert, an agricultural business he founded. He denies any wrongdoing.