The source behind the Panama Papers leaks has offered to help law enforcement agencies. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Washington: The anonymous source behind the huge leak of documents known as the Panama Papers has offered to aid law enforcement officials in prosecutions related to offshore money laundering and tax evasion, but only if he is assured that he will not be punished.

"Legitimate whistle-blowers who expose unquestionable wrongdoing, whether insiders or outsiders, deserve immunity from government retribution," the source, who has still not revealed a name or nationality, said in a statement issued on Thursday.

The documents, which list the true owners of thousands of companies created to hide the people behind them, expose the holdings of current and former world leaders and other prominent figures.

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The source, who uses the pseudonym John Doe but whose gender is not known, said that the papers could spur thousands of prosecutions, "if only law enforcement could access and evaluate the actual documents."

He noted that journalists who have viewed the papers have said they will not turn over the full archive of 11.5 million documents.

"I, however, would be willing to cooperate with law enforcement to the extent that I am able," he wrote.

The statement, which was issued on the condition that it not be reported until Friday morning, gave some hints about his political views and concerns.

"Banks, financial regulators and tax authorities have failed," the statement said.

"Decisions have been made that have spared the wealthy while focusing instead on reining in middle- and low-income citizens."

The statement came on the same day that the Obama administration, citing the disclosures, announced a series of steps intended to prevent wealthy individuals, including political leaders, from using offshore shell companies to hide assets, embezzle money or avoid paying taxes.

The statement by the Panama Papers source was released through a German newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which originally received the once-confidential archive of documents taken from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca.

The statement from the confidential source said he was not and had never been a government official or contractor. He was extremely critical of the news media, suggesting that certain unnamed news organisations had declined initial offers from him to take and report on the documents.

The New York Times