Purchase of additional data concerning investments in offshore tax havens

North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is taking another decisive step in the fight against tax evasion. The State Office for Combating Financial Crime has acquired a terabyte of data relating to customers in offshore tax havens. The impact on taxpayers could be tremendous.

The State Office for Combating Financial Crime in North-Rhine-Westfalia (SOCFG NRW) has purchased a data carrier from a whistleblower containing customer information from service providers based in the United Arab Emirates, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Panama, Singapore, and Cyprus, the SOCFG and the Ministry of Finance of North Rhine-Westphalia announced in their joint press release of 11 December 2025.

What are the consequences for taxpayers concerned?

In the months to come, tax investigators will be working hard to find out who is behind these sophisticated financial arrangements. Experience has shown that such data purchases are often accompanied by extensive searches and criminal proceedings.

Those who act prudently now and seek professional assistance may be able to prevent the worst by conducting a comprehensive inventory, providing clear documentation, and, if necessary, submitting a legally compliant voluntary disclosure. Even under difficult and challenging circumstances, voluntary disclosure remains a significantly easier and safer approach than being exposed in the course of this data analysis.

From the initial risk analysis and subsequent declarations to active defense in preliminary investigations, our firm offers a comprehensive approach. This also applies to external audits of companies by the tax office.

The PwC experts of contact to be found at the bottom of the German blog post.