Such is the obscurity of Softbank's tax arrangements, its corporate structure and the prospects of its investments that, to gain even a partial view of the firm's true value, you need to be a trained accountant, a stockmarket analyst and a private detective rolled into one.
After failing to win Brazil's presidency as the dictatorship's nominee, Mr Maluf staged a comeback, first by winning election as Sao Paulo's mayor and then, in 1996, by securing victory for Mr Pitta, the accountant at his family firm and his handpicked successor.