DHAKA: Vladimir Putin has apologized for erroneously claiming that German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung was owned by the US bank Goldman Sachs.

The Russian president made the remark in a televised phone-in on Thursday, the BBC publishes this report on Friday.

It concerned who was responsible for the publication of the so-called Panama Papers, which were leaked to Sueddeutsche Zeitung and revealed massive international tax evasion.

In an apology issued by the Kremlin, Putin said he was misinformed by aides.

‘It is more the error of those who prepared the briefing documents, my error,’ Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, told reporters.

‘There was information there that had not been checked and rechecked again and we gave it to the president. We have apologized (to the bank) and we will also apologize to the publication.’

The Panama Papers, which contained the names of people allegedly involved in tax evasion schemes, revealed a number of offshore companies owned by close associates of Putin.

Putin has denied ‘any element of corruption’ over the schemes, saying his opponents are trying to destabilize Russia.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung shared the documents with a large group of newspapers and publishers, including the BBC.

BDST: 2028 HRS, APR 15, 2016
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