(VOVworld) - The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) said on Wednesday that the “Panama Papers” trove of leaked documents revealing the vast extent of global tax evasion will be made available to the public on May 9. The searchable database will include information about more than 200,000 secret companies, trusts, and foundations based in 21 tax havens from Hong Kong to Nevada in the US.

The "Panama Papers" are the latest and biggest revelation of state and economic secrets (Source: ndtv.com)

The ICIJ said the release is the next step in its ongoing year-long investigation, adding that more stories will be published in the coming months.

German newspaper and ICIJ member Süddeutsche Zeitung was the first to publish information from the leak of 11.5 million documents that originated from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca. The information was shared with a large network of international partners, including the Guardian and the BBC. The ICIJ published information about thousands of people who hold foreign accounts for tax purposes, agreements between Luxembourg and multinational companies to limit tax exposure, and a plan to help clients of banking giant HSBC's Swiss division evade taxes on accounts worth 119 billion USD.