A man whose name is the same as Mossack Fonseca’s Vancouver representative donated to the Vancouver Police Department’s mobile command centre campaign, Business in Vancouver has learned.
A promotional flyer for the Vancouver Police Foundation acknowledged Frederick Sharp as a “supporter level” donor to the $500,000 campaign in 2013. It does not list the amount that Sharp gave.
The foundation’s executive director, Martina Meckova, refused to confirm or deny that the donor was Frederick L. Sharp or disclose the amount of his donation. Frederick L. Sharp incorporated Mossack Fonseca’s Vancouver office in 1998 and remains associated with the Panama City law firm.
“We respect and protect the privacy of our donors and as such, information about donors and donations is handled with respect and confidentiality, and not shared with any third party,” Meckova said.
Mossack Fonseca’s secret files were leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and published as the Panama Papers. Offshore incorporation is not illegal, but Panamanian authorities raided Mossack Fonseca’s office last month and various jurisdictions are investigating the potential for tax evasion.
In July 2003, reporter Brent Mudry referred to Frederick L. Sharp as a “familiar face on Howe Street who also serves as a guest columnist for Offshore Business Canada, a monthly glossy magazine, and a shareholder of Corporate House SA.”
The B.C. corporate registry shows that Sharp incorporated the Vancouver office of Mossack Fonseca (Canada) on May 29, 1998, with an office in 1075 West Georgia Street. It dissolved April 12, 1999. But Sharp has carried on business under different names elsewhere.
Mossack Fonseca’s Hong Kong website listed an address at the Sun Life Plaza at 1100 Melville Street. The Sunday Times’ Panama Papers database included the following shell company names: Vancouver Properties S.A., Burrard Holdings Inc., Seymour Ventures Inc., Granville Trading Inc., White Rock Enterprises S.A., CDN Caninvest (Canada) Inc., Anglo Canadian Investment Corp., CIIB Canada Corp., Credit Canadian Gelman Corp., and Canadian International Immigration Bureau Corp.
The Melville Street address is where Frederick L. Sharp incorporated Corporate House Equity Inc. on Aug. 14, 2007, as the sole director. Just a day later, Sharp ceased to be a director and was replaced by Thomas C. Sharp, his brother, who had an 1199 Seymour Street address. That was the first of a series of changes.
Thomas Sharp ceased to be a director on August 15, 2008, when Solinda Chow of Quarry Bay, Hong Kong, took over as the sole director. Chow gave way on August 14, 2009, to Jimmy Gomez Luzon of Barangay, Philippines, as the sole director of Corporate House.
Thomas Sharp’s name reappeared on the registration June 29, 2010, as the sole director. In the October 22, 2012, filing, Frederick Sharp replaced Thomas Sharp.
Corporate House is evidently also involved in real estate. On his LinkedIn profile, Bruce Gasarch of Richmond refers to himself as Corporate House’s real estate director. “Vancouver, Canada area plus world. Buying and managing properties” since January 2014.
The Corporate House name, however, does not appear on the door of the third floor corner suite at Sun Life Plaza. Lakehouse Group does, above the words “by appointment.”
Records show that Sharp incorporated Lakehouse Capital Inc. at that address on November 25, 2014, with Yvonne Gasarch of Richmond as the sole director.
Voice mail messages left for Frederick Sharp were not returned. The number was out of service on May 9. There was no answer at his West Vancouver residential phone number.
