El perrito faldero de Gurría

By Alvaro Tomas

In an effort to explain how to live and legislate in their countries, last year, in November, the G-20 held a meeting in Brisbane, Australia. I just read, with great displeasure, the press conference given by the OECD executive Pascal Saint-Amans, who directly attacked Panama, seeking to discredit its banking center. He mentioned in his press conference that “… so pretty good success, especially when you see that all the jurisdictions have committed, except Panama. Not sure I would run to Panama to put my money there”.

Why Saint-Amans, Head of Tax Center of the agency, fails to mention that the United States, just like Panama, has neither signed or will sign any agreement? I presume that he omitted that mention out of gratitude to that country, because if it not were for them he would be speaking German and having weiner schnitzel for lunch. Why doesn´t Saint-Amans mention that the President of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, was the one who orchestrated more than 324 tax schemes for multinational enterprises in his country? Why don´t they request his immediate resignation? Why has such a scandal been kept quiet the European media?

Why doesn’t Saint-Amans require the 24 member countries of OECD which still permit the issuance of bearer shares, to eliminate them as we are doing in Panama? Why doesn’t Saint-Amans show us his tax return? Because, ironically, OECD executives do not pay taxes! What is the interest of this Frenchman to discredit Panama? Is it because we are not white, blue eyes as Juncker?

How is it possible that this Gurria´s lap dog messes with Panamanian banks when many banks of several OECD countries (the United States, Spain, France, Italy, etc.) had to be rescued by their governments or by Germany while, in contrast, the Panamanian bank passed the test with top marks? Our banking center was an example to the rest of the world.

How come Saint-Amans does not mention the European banks still lurching between corruption and scandals;  Have they forgotten the Banco del Espiritu Santo or Bankia, in Spain?

Some advice, Pascal: before attacking Panama again, devote yourself to solving the problems of corruption in Europe and to the increasing rise of the extreme right. With these issues you may distract yourself for a while. Do not mess with countries that are doing well and competing to attract foreign investment.