ECB has not sought access to Panama Papers

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The European Central Bank has not sought access to the Panama Papers, a massive leak of offshore financial data that became public last month, because tax evasion and money laundering are not part of its mandate, the ECB's chief supervisor said on Monday.

"The ECB has not sought access to the...'Panama Papers'," Nouy said in a letter responding to a member of the European Parliament.

"The ECB is, nevertheless, committed to cooperating with national competent authorities in monitoring developments closely and taking action where appropriate."

One of the banks mentioned in the leaked documents, Cyprus's RCB Bank, formerly known as Russian Commercial Bank, is directly supervised by the ECB.

(Reporting By Francesco Canepa)