Emma Watson has been named in the so-called Panama Papers, a series of leaks from the database of the law firm, Mossack Fonseca, giving the financial details of wealthy individuals who use off-shore accounts. She allegedly bought a multi-million property in London in 2013 after setting up a company called Falling Leaves in the British Virgin Islands.
According to The Spectator, Watson's name appears in the online searchable database that was updated on Monday night (the first leak appeared at the beginning of April.)
While offshore accounts can be used to hide money for tax avoidance, setting them up is entirely legal and there are legitimate reasons for having them.
The Harry Potter actress has denied any wrongdoing. A spokesperson for Watson told The Spectator that she simply uses the offshore account for privacy:
"Emma (like many high profile individuals) set up an offshore company for the sole purpose of protecting her anonymity and safety. UK companies are required to publicly publish details of their shareholders and therefore do not give her the necessary anonymity required to protect her personal safety, which has been jeopardised in the past owing to such information being publicly available. Offshore companies do not publish these shareholder details. Emma receives absolutely no tax or monetary advantages from this offshore company whatsoever – only privacy."
Whatever Watson's reasons are for having an offshore company, the news has rocked the internet. The liberal actress is a staunch feminist who takes a keen interest in politics, recently attending the White House correspondents’ dinner. Only yesterday she was calling on the new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to erect a statue of the suffragettes in Parliament Square. The Panama Papers is certainly not the kind of scandal you'd expect Watson to be caught up in, leaving her fans rather confused.
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