More than 400 Australians have been named in a financial leak that exposed the secret offshore wealth of the world’s most powerful leaders and billionaires (pictured, Asiaciti founder Graeme Briggs)

Briggs has about $10million worth of known property including in the ritzy Victorian postcode of Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsular (pictured) and in Melbourne’s Toorak

Clients pay Briggs’ Singapore-based Asiaciti firm huge sums of money to set up complex corporate structures and trusts in order to minimize their taxes and protect their vast wealth.

The documents were obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and studied by more than 650 reporters from the BBC‘s Panorama, The Guardian and more than 100 other news outlets.

Asiaciti criticised the investigation by the ICIJ media partners in a statement on Monday saying his company abides by all necessary regulations.

Mr Briggs has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The ambitious Australian businessman has amassed a $62million fortune and now lives the high-life after somewhat humble beginnings.

Growing up in Echuca on the Victorian side of the Murray River, the son of a dairy farmer had a knack for numbers from an very early age.

‘He was quite a clever boy, really good on his maths and that,’ Graham Peat, a schoolmate from Echuca High School told the ABC.

‘He always wanted to be a millionaire before he’s 30.’

A fully-qualified and practicing chartered accountant by the age of 23, at 30 he had established Asiaciti.

The outfit made a name for itself among the super-rich during the 1980s as it set up offices in small palm-tree laden paradises which had stringent confidentiality laws but less restrictive legislation when it came to international businesses and foreign capital.

Over the years Mr Briggs has acquired luxurious property all over the globe including Melbourne’s Toorak and Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula, where he owns a huge vineyard.

He also has a passion for high-art and Italian vino and lays claim to a $400,000 wine cellar.

More bizarrely, the money man has spent more than $4million on rare Japanese fountain pens.

The Australian Taxation Office confirmed it is investigating all possible Australian links after the publication.

ATO Deputy Commissioner and serious financial crime taskforce chief Will Day said an investigation was underway to identify any Australians linked to the data included in the Pandora Papers.

‘We will certainly look at this data set and compare it with the data we already have to identify any potential connections,’ he said.

Mr Day pointed out that any names included in the data leak did not necessarily mean they were taking part in illegal activity.

‘There are a range of legitimate reasons that someone may have for an offshore bank account or structure,’ he said.

‘We know most Australians do the right thing. However, there are some who attempt to hide their ownership interests or financial misdoings through offshore arrangements.’

In the past, Asiaciti has drawn attention for some of its clients.

They include Moldovan politician Vladimir Plahotniuc – who is a fugitive – Myanmar’s agriculture minister Nyunt Tin – who resigned over corruption – and Nigerian politician Abubakar Atiku Bagudu – who laundered public funds.

The documents uncover how Asiaciti managed to build its fortune by helping some high-risk clients along the way.

In 2020, Asiaciti was fined US$793,000 after the organisation failed to introduce effective policies to prevent money laundering between 2007 and 2018.

The treasure trove of documents show how 35 current and former world leaders – including associates of Vladimir Putin – used accounts in tax havens to accrue huge amounts of wealth and carry out transactions.

Russian President Mr Putin was linked to secret assets in Monaco, and an offshore company owned by his alleged lover purchased a $4.million apartment below the principality’s casino.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair and Jordanian King Abdullah II are also among those include in the data drop.

The Pandora Papers go on to link several high-profile entertainment figures including singer Shakira, and supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

The papers claim Colombian pop star Shakira set up offshore entities in the British Virgin Islands to conceal assets.

But lawyers of the 44-year-old said the singer declared the offshore companies, and they did not provide tax advantages.

The singer is already in a legal battle with the Spanish Government, which accused her of failing to pay taxes in Spain in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

In response to their client being named in the report, representatives of German supermodel Ms Schiffer, 51, said the mother-of-three correctly pays her taxes in Britain, where she lives.

Indian Cricket star Sachin Tendulkar’s offshore interests were also flagged along with a notorious Italian mobster.

Raffaele Amato used a shell company in the UK to buy land in Spain, where he fled to to set up his own crime gang.

Mr Amato, who has been tied to at least a dozen killings, is serving a 20-year prison sentence. His lawyers declined to comment.