The judge dismissed all charges in the Panama Papers and Operation Car Wash cases

The Panama Papers trial included testimony from 27 witnesses and over 50 pieces of evidence. File photo by US Department of State/UPI

June 29 (UPI) — A Panamanian court acquitted all 28 people charged with money laundering in connection with the Panama Papers and Operation Carwash scandals.

On Friday in Panama City, Judge Baloisa Marquinez declared that the evidence before the court did not meet the requirements of due process and was “not sufficient” to prove a crime, ending a trial that began in April

Among those acquitted were Jurgen Mossack and the late Ramon Fonseca, founders of Mossack Fonseca, the now-shuttered law firm at the center of the scandal.

During the trial, prosecutors sought a maximum sentence of 12 years for money laundering for Mossack and Fonseca.

Fonseca died during the trial and was acquitted of all charges in May.

The Panama Papers are the largest data breach in history. In 2016, more than 11 million Mossack Fonesca documents were leaked to the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung and made available to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

In 2017, Mossack Fonseca stated that it had been the victim of a computer hack and that the disclosed information had been misinterpreted.

The documents allegedly exposed a secret network of the world’s richest and most powerful people who used tax havens to hide their wealth.

The articles cited 12 current and former world leaders and 128 politicians and public figures.

The names of British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Argentine football star Lionel Messi allegedly appeared in the newspapers.

The 85-hour trial included three prosecutors and 18 defense lawyers. The judge heard from 27 witnesses and saw over 50 pieces of evidence.

“While the court did not hold these defendants accountable, the lasting impact of our investigation continues,” ICIJ executive director Gerard Ryle said in a statement. “By exposing hidden truths, as we did in the Panama Papers, we give the public the information it needs to demand accountability and push for reform.”

Operation Carwash was an investigation into money laundering at the Brazilian oil company Petrobras. According to the court’s ruling, the defendants in this case were acquitted because it was not possible to establish income from illegal sources.