Ramón Fonseca Mora, Panama Papers law firm co-founder, dies in hospital

​​Ramón Fonseca Mora, one of the founders of the now-shuttered law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers exposé, has died at 71, according to his lawyer.

Guillermina McDonald, the lawyer, confirmed via text that Fonseca died overnight.

He had been hospitalized since early April, shortly before the start of a landmark money laundering trial stemming from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalist’s 2016 investigation.

Twenty-seven people including Fonseca and his partner in the law firm Mossack Fonseca, Jürgen Mossack, faced trial over their alleged role in setting up shell companies involved in the so-called “car wash” corruption scheme in Brazil, dubbed “Lavo Jato” in Portuguese, and a separate bribery scandal involving German company Siemens.

Both Mossack and Fonseca have repeatedly denied any involvement in illegal activities. The verdict in the current trial, which concluded on April 19, is pending as the judge considers evidence presented in the hearings.

“In accordance with the judicial code, the criminal action in relation to the deceased accused is extinguished. The process, which is in the sentencing stage, continues for all the other defendants,” said Panamanian attorney Carlos Barsallo. A spokesperson from Panama’s Public Ministry confirmed the legal action against Fonseca will be dismissed.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINER | From Panamagate to Panama Papers

In 2022, both Mossack Fonseca founders were acquitted in a separate Panamanian money laundering case.

Born in Panama in 1952, Fonseca studied at the London School of Economics before becoming a successful novelist in the 1990s, twice winning Panama’s highest literary prize, according to the New York Times. He later entered politics and served as a top advisor to former Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela.

In 2019, Mossack and Fonseca launched an unsuccessful libel case against Netflix in response to its movie “The Laundromat,” based on the Panama Papers investigation. The pair argued that their depiction by Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas was defamatory.

READ ALSO: Mizzi interviewed on his offshore company: ‘It’s a free world. Everyone can choose whatever they wish and should seek advice on what is best for them’

The Panama Papers investigation remains one of the largest cross-border journalistic collaborations in history and has become shorthand for financial chicanery and political corruption in the public imagination.

Based on a trove of 11.5 million files leaked to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared with ICIJ, the investigation exposed the offshore financial secrets of world leaders and other powerful public figures, triggering protests, government probes and the resignation of Iceland’s prime minister.

In Malta, they were considered a catalyst for the eventual resignation of Schembri, Mizzi, and disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat.

READ ALSO: Panama Papers | Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri wanted to open Dubai bank account