It&#x27;s legal because, as noted by Adam Smith:  &quot;Wealth, as Mr Hobbes says, is power.&quot;<p>The rich write the laws.  In many cases here, the rich <i>are</i> the law.<p>And as John Doe (the Panama Papers leaker) wrote in his manifesto this weekend:<p><i>The prevailing media narrative thus far has focused on the scandal of what is legal and allowed in this system. What is allowed is indeed scandalous and must be changed. But we must not lose sight of another important fact: the law firm, its founders, and employees actually did knowingly violate myriad laws worldwide, repeatedly. Publicly they plead ignorance, but the documents show detailed knowledge and deliberate wrongdoing. At the very least we already know that Mossack personally perjured himself before a federal court in Nevada, and we also know that his information technology staff attempted to cover up the underlying lies. They should all be prosecuted accordingly with no special treatment.</i><p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;panamapapers.icij.org&#x2F;20160506-john-doe-statement.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;panamapapers.icij.org&#x2F;20160506-john-doe-statement.ht...</a>