Judge acquits key figures in Panama Papers scandal

PANAMA CITY (AP) — A Panamanian judge has acquited 39 people charged in the Panama Papers case, including the key figures,  Jurgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca. Judge Baloísa Marquínez Morán ruled Thursday that the prosecution did not prove that the law firm Mossack Fonseca handled funds from Brazil. The Panama Papers include a collection of 11 million secret financial documents that illustrated how some of the world’s richest people hide their money. The records were leaked in 2016, and the repercussions prompted the resignation of the prime minister of Iceland and brought scrutiny to the leaders of Argentina and Ukraine, Chinese politicians and Russian President Vladimir Putin.