Deloitte and Investigation into Roman Abramovich's Wealth
A new joint investigation has revealed that the international audit firm was involved in the process of concealing the billionaire businessman's assets from company accounts.
A joint investigation by BBC Panorama and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed that Deloitte, one of the world's largest accounting firms, helped falsify documents in order to conceal Roman Abramovich's wealth and evade taxes.
Document Falsification and Disappearing Assets
As a result of accounts approved by Deloitte in Cyprus, it was determined that millions of dollars worth of assets, such as superyachts, mansions, and private jets, disappeared from company records.
Tax Evasion Allegations and Legal Evaluations
Among the allegations is that Deloitte consulted on a plan involving the falsification of documents to avoid a massive tax liability on the oligarch's wealth.
Evaluating the matter, lawyer Andrew Mitchell KC shared with the public that the obtained evidence points to clear tax evasion.
Parties' Responses and Defenses
Roman Abramovich's lawyers argued that their client did not evade taxes or conceal his wealth, stating that there is no evidence he knew about, approved, or directed the falsification in the documents.
Deloitte Cyprus stated that they acted in accordance with applicable laws, but could not comment on specific allegations because the documents are more than twenty years old.