28 individuals accused of money laundering in a comprehensive case are acquitted, announces a court in Panama.
The case is linked to the so-called "Panama Papers", where 11.5 million documents leaked from the now-defunct Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca's database in 2016.
Among the accused who are now acquitted are the firm's founders Jürgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca. The latter died in May at a hospital in Panama.
The prosecution had requested 12 years' imprisonment for the two founders, the maximum sentence for money laundering. However, according to the verdict, evidence collected from the firm's servers was not gathered in accordance with regulations, which has raised doubts about its "authenticity and integrity".
The leaked documents revealed how many wealthy individuals around the world hid significant assets abroad, leading to extensive investigations in many countries.
