Germany is spending EUR 5 million to buy the so-called Panama Papers, which contain lists of people and shell companies exploiting offshore tax havens.

Berlin officials said that the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) had bought the papers, which were disclosed last year, as part of its bid to track down on possible German-based tax evaders.

“These data are being looked into and evaluated with Hesse state\'s tax authorities to pursue criminal and fiscal offenses," the BKA said in a joint statement with Hesse\'s finance ministry and the Frankfurt public prosecutor\'s office.

The papers, published last ye...