It seems to be a commonly-held belief in the world's major countries that Offshore Financial Centers are impenetrable fortresses when it comes to obtaining information for criminal and civil investigations.

But the opposite is reality, said Jeremy Walton, a Cayman Islands-based partner of prominent offshore law firm Appleby.

"It is a myth that offshore financial centers are information black-holes and that it is practically impossible to obtain information or relief for the victims of fraud," he told . . .