Alan Gomez, and Jane Onyanga-Omara

USA TODAY

Officials in the United States and governments from at least four other countries called Tuesday for closer examination of anonymous offshore accounts highlighted by new Panama Papers' disclosures of how the rich and powerful hide their assets.

In the United States, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., sent letters to the secretaries of state of Nevada and Wyoming, demanding a full accounting of the anonymous companies established in those states through the Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca, which had 11.5 million of its internal documents hacked.

Citing a USA TODAY analysis of 1,000 anonymous companies in Nevada and 24 in Wyoming tied to the law firm, Wyden asked for information about the companies, how the states regulate them and whether any of the companies had been investigated for criminal activity.

"I have become increasingly concerned about the use of anonymous shell companies as vehicles for terrorists financing, tax evasion, and fraud targeting major government programs within the Committee's jurisdiction, such as Medicare," wrote Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Also on Tuesday, the Japanese government said it would draft a plan to fight international tax evasion. The day before, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which has handled the Panama Papers, released to the public a massive database with more than 360,000 people and companies associated with offshore accounts.

The Japanese government said it plans to propose measures to fight global graft at the Group of Seven economic summit it is hosting in the cities of Ise and Shima on May 26-27. It did not provide further detail. Representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Italy will attend.

Major Japanese financial firms Marubeni Corporation and Itochu Corporation were listed in the documents as shareholders or directors of at least 270 entities in offshore tax havens, the Kyodo news agency reported. The two firms denied that the investments were aimed at avoiding taxes, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported Tuesday.

Panama Papers reveal at least 36 Americans accused of financial crimes

In Australia, the federal Taxation Office is investigating about 800 Australians named in the Panama Papers, according to the Herald Sun.

In India, D.S. Malik, a spokesman for the country's finance ministry, said Tuesday that income tax authorities have sent notices to all Indians listed in the database seeking information and warning of possible investigations, the Associated Press reported.

And Canadian Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier said investigators were analyzing the files. "We are looking into what's going on in these cases with a fine-toothed comb," she told lawmakers Monday. "If we can lay criminal charges, we will lay criminal charges."

In April, an anonymous source known only as “John Doe” leaked 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca, which specializes in creating accounts to hide financial dealings. The fallout saw Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson step aside following the disclosure of offshore investments that posed a conflict of interest and led to the resignation of financiers and politicians from Austria to Spain.

Monday's release put another high-ranking official in the cross hairs: Guatemala's former foreign minister, Harold Caballeros.

Closer look at Americans named in Panama Papers

For almost two decades, Caballeros has maintained a financial offshore entity in the Bahamas on behalf of his Christian church, El Shaddai, according to Univision. Caballeros, a former pastor, politician and lawyer, and his wife, Cecilia Arimany, also a pastor, have been clients of Mossack Fonseca since January 1999, according to the documents.

The pair created a company called Apostolic Ministries International Ltd. and were named directors. El Shaddai consists of a university, 27 radio stations and 19 schools.

Caballeros defended his decision to open the offshore account as a way to "streamline the daily mechanics" of the church, which has expanded internationally, he told Univision. In a Facebook post, Caballeros called the Univision article a "malicious" piece filled with "lies and inaccuracies."

"I have no problem responding with the truth and evidence to all the insinuations that only seek to create a negative perception of a productive life of contribution to society," Caballeros wrote.

A deputy director of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's confectionery empire is a beneficiary of a company registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), according to new information from the leaked papers.

The link to Sergei Zaitsev is potentially embarrassing for Poroshenko because he said in April he wanted to pass a law requiring Ukrainians to disclose all their offshore holdings in an attempt to force them to pay taxes in their home country.

Serhiy Leshchenko, a prominent lawmaker in Poroshenko's faction, told Reuters on Tuesday that a special investigative commission should be set up to probe Poroshenko's business dealings as a result of the latest allegations. Roshen, Poroshenko's confectionery business, declined to comment and said Zaitsev was absent and could not be reached.



Contributing: Celia Camacho and Maria Hercules in McLean, Va.

Panama Papers: What we know now