Aris Martinez/Reuters
The Supreme Court of Panama, where the trial is taking place.
CNN
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A Panamanian court has acquitted 28 people accused of money laundering in cases related to the Panama Papers and Operation Car Wash scandals.
Judge Baloísa Marquínez ordered the lifting of all precautionary measures against the defendants, whose names were not disclosed, saying one of the group died during the trial.
The Panama Papers are a collection of over 11 million leaked documents published in 2016 by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
The documents allegedly revealed a secret network of confidants of Russian President Vladimir Putin and business ties between a member of FIFA’s Ethics Committee and men against whom the United States had brought corruption charges.
The documents referred to 12 current or former heads of state and 128 other politicians and officials.
A court statement said evidence collected in the case did not follow due process requirements, raising doubts about its “authenticity and integrity.”
On Friday, ICIJ Executive Director Gerard Ryle said: “Even though the court has not brought the defendants to justice, the impact of our investigations is still being felt.”
“By uncovering hidden truths, as we did with the Panama Papers, we give the public the information they need to demand accountability and drive reform,” Ryle said.
According to ICIJ, the trial lasted 85 hours and involved three prosecutors and 18 defense attorneys.
Operation Car Wash was a money laundering investigation into Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil company.
Those acquitted in the “Operation Car Wash” case were released because there was no evidence of income from illegal sources, the statement said.
