PROBING QUESTIONS An investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, 60 Minutes and The New York Times has revealed that Westpac Banking Corporation, the Perth Mint and hundreds of Australian citizens have been caught up in a global tax evasion probe, “Operation Atlantis”, by the “J5” — a taskforce made up of the tax chiefs of Australia, the US, UK, the Netherlands and Canada set up following the Panama Papers leak. International enforcement sources have confirmed that Puerto Rican bank Euro Pacific, which is fronted by US financier and celebrity business commentator Peter Schiff, “has been proscribed as a ‘top tier’ organised crime threat to Australia because of its suspected use by Australian and international organised crime syndicates”. Australia’s deputy tax commissioner Will Day has confirmed that around 100 Australians are being investigated and could be jailed for tax evasion following simultaneous raids across the world on January 24. PS: Elsewhere, The Guardian reports that Labor MP Andrew Leigh has written to more than 200 corporate giants, including Apple, McDonald’s and Microsoft, asking whether they have received JobKeeper and then used the money to pay shareholder dividends or executive bonuses. PPS: In yet another investigation, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Berejiklian government handed out more than $250 million in council grants, almost all in Coalition-held seats, in the months leading up to the 2019 election without any signed paperwork. | 