Cabinet: Amber Rudd
Amber Rudd arrives at Downing Street as Theresa May appoints her new cabinet. The Home Secretary is at the centre of revelations over her connections with companies offshore in the Bahamas Oli Scarff/ Getty Images

Amber Rudd was involved with two companies in an offshore tax haven, leaked documents have revealed which raise questions about her business career before she became Home Secretary.

Company data from the Bahamas reveal Rudd as having been a director of two Bahamas companies called Advanced Asset Allocation Fund and Advanced Asset Allocation Management, between 1998 and 2000.

More from IBTimes UK

Earlier in 2016, Rudd defended David Cameron over his investment in the Bahamas which had been set up by his late father, although she said back then "international transparency on tax matters is essential."

The data was leaked to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other media outlets.

There is no suggestion she herself used the companies to avoid tax. But according to a former business associate of hers, the companies were involved in an offshore investment fund.

The Bahamas is at the centre of attempts to improve transparency and crack down on tax evasion and avoidance.

Alistair Buchanan, who marketed the fund to investors, said the fund was set up in the Bahamas for regulatory not tax reasons. "You could not set up those funds in England at that time, now you can," he said, according to the BBC.

In addition, the Guardian uncovered details about her career in venture capital, with one enterprise leading her to become a co-director of Monticello, which was at the centre of an investigation into share ramping.

Board resignation

The Department of Trade and Industry investigated after one of her co-directors, Mark O'Hanlon made false claims about the company's prospects which led to its share price skyrocketing and trading on its shares was suspended. In 2007, O'Hanlon was convicted of making a false statement and jailed for 18 months.

Rudd resigned as a board member and also stood down as director of Advanced Asset Allocation Management. The Guardian also reported that she was also involved in a company prospecting for diamonds in Siberia that was traded on a notoriously unregulated stock exchange.

Green Party speaker on finance, Molly Scott Cato MEP, told the BBC: "Theresa May made clear that she would lead a government that works for everyone and would encourage a more ethical approach to business. In this context it is difficult to see how she can continue to have confidence in Amber Rudd as home secretary."

A spokesperson for the home secretary said: "It is a matter of public record that Amber had a career in business before entering politics. Monticello was thoroughly investigated 16 years ago and those who acted wrongly were identified and prosecuted."