Shell Corporations and Beneficial Owners. Current Criticalities and Future Developments from a Multilevel Perspective

SUMMARY This article takes inspiration from the news leak known as the Panama Papers and focuses on the definition of the beneficial owner clause in both tax and anti-money laundering legislation. Specifically, it analyses the OECD Model Tax Convention, the European Directives and the European Court of Justice case law. This matter is closely linked to the use of offshore corporate vehicles for criminal purposes and the main purpose of the article is to concentrate on the existing gaps in these topics, and to propose effective solutions to combat abusive practices.