A Panamanian law firm, whose client records showing the offshore financial dealings of famous and powerful people were exposed online, was already under investigation in Panama and Brazil for its connection to political corruption investigations in Brazil.

Publication of Mossack Fonseca client records also may open the firm and its clients to U.S. prosecution, a former State Department official said Monday.

Ramon Fonseca, a name partner along with German-born Jurgen Mossack, has been on leave from a Panama government ministry post and a position in the Panameñista political party because of the investigation, said Pedro Armada, a senior consultant who conducts Latin America investigations for Nardello & Co.

A well-known author and political figure, Fonseca was involved in the political campaign of Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, who has agreed to cooperate with a new investigation opened by the Panamanian government, Armada said.

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