Mossack Fonseca IT worker arrested over data theft

A computer technician at the Geneva office of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca was arrested several days ago on suspicion of removing large amounts of data from the company, Swiss paper Le Temps reported, citing a source close to the case.

A spokesperson for the Geneva prosecutor’s office told Reuters that it had opened an investigation following a criminal complaint by Mossack Fonseca, but declined to comment further.

The law firm, which specializes in setting up offshore companies, has said it was the victim of a data hack and that it had filed complaints against people who might have been involved with breaching its data.

“We are confident that the authorities in each of these countries will carry out the corresponding processes transparently and effectively in every case,” it said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Le Temps reported that the suspect detained in Geneva was accused of theft of data, unauthorized access and breach of trust. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The prosecutor reportedly searched the company’s office and seized computer equipment, and checks are underway to see if the detained man had stolen data.

The paper said that there was no evidence that the detained man was responsible for the massive Panama Papers data leak in April, that shone a spotlight on the shadowy world of offshore companies.

Bastian Obermayer, a German journalist who was one of the first to look into the Panama Papers, said he did not believe the arrested person was the whistleblower.

The anonymous source behind the Panama Papers spoke out in May, offering to help law authorities make prosecutions in return for immunity.

In a 1,800-word statement, “John Doe” said that he had never worked for a government or spy agency, and cited “income equality” as a motive for the leak of thousands of doucments.