The Newshound

Deloitte is accused of faking over 1,000 documents to hide Roman Abramovich's $10bn fortune and dodge tax

Roman Abramovich's superyacht Eclipse — among $672m worth of vessels, mansions and private jets that a BBC Panorama investigation found were made to disappear from his company records by Deloitte-approved accounts.
Roman Abramovich's superyacht Eclipse — among $672m worth of vessels, mansions and private jets that a BBC Panorama investigation found were made to disappear from his company records by Deloitte-approved accounts.
Deloitte Cyprus appears to have helped devise a scheme using falsified documents to avoid a substantial tax liability, barrister Andrew Mitchell KC called "straightforward" evasion.
Deloitte Cyprus appears to have helped devise a scheme using falsified documents to avoid a substantial tax liability, barrister Andrew Mitchell KC called "straightforward" evasion.

A BBC Panorama and Bureau of Investigative Journalism investigation alleges that Deloitte Cyprus staff routinely backdated corporate records — sometimes by as much as five years — to conceal assets from Abramovich's company books, among them superyachts, mansions and private jets with a combined value of $672m. More than 1,000 documents across over 100 companies were allegedly falsified between 1999 and 2013; MeritServus, a firm spun out of Deloitte Cyprus in 2005, is also implicated. Barrister Andrew Mitchell KC described the scheme as "straightforward" tax evasion, adding that "it couldn't be more blatant." Abramovich's lawyers deny that he had any knowledge of, or role in authorising or directing, the falsification.

Labour peer and accounting professor Lord Sikka branded the operation a 'fiddle factory', calling it a "violation of a statutory duty."

Leaked documents suggest that Abramovich's closest aide Eugene Tenenbaum gave false evidence before the UK High Court in a lawsuit over Siberian oil fields.

£5.4bn of Abramovich's assets remain frozen in Jersey, where a criminal investigation has been running for four years.

MoreBBC NewsAbramovich’s close associate misled UK court in £1bn oil-fields case, documents suggestThe TelegraphAbramovich aides accused of hiding mansions and jets to avoid taxDaily Mail NewsDeloitte 'helped falsify documents' to hide true extent of former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's wealth, documents suggestCity A.M.Big Four giant Deloitte accused of faking paperwork to hide Roman Abramovich wealthDaily MailAbramovich 'hid billions with help of top British accounting firm Deloitte'
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