Deloitte helped in falsifying documents to evade tax on Abramovich’s wealth
A BBC Panorama investigation alleges that Deloitte helped Roman Abramovich falsify documents to evade taxes on hundreds of millions of dollars in assets. While the firm maintains it complies with all laws, the report details how assets were hidden through complex accounting schemes.
Why it matters
The report raises significant questions about the role of major accounting firms in facilitating financial evasion for sanctioned individuals.
Figure caption, Watch: The documents that were falsified to allow Roman Abramovich to evade tax
The world's biggest accountancy firm helped in falsifying documents to hide Roman Abramovich's wealth and evade tax, BBC Panorama has found.
Accounts signed off by Deloitte in Cyprus meant assets such as superyachts, mansions and private jets worth $672m (£508m) vanished from Abramovich's company accounts.
Deloitte also appears to have advised on a scheme to evade a huge tax bill on the oligarch's wealth through the falsification of documents.
Barrister Andrew Mitchell KC, an expert in financial services law, said Panorama's evidence showed the scheme was "straightforward" tax evasion and "it couldn't be more blatant".
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