An investigation of the BBC and of Bureau of Investigative Journalism reveals that documents were allegedly falsified to hide part of Roman Abramovich’s fortune and allow him to evade taxes. According to documents obtained by the media, Deloitte, one of the largest auditing firms in the world, would have notably validated in 2006 accounts causing the disappearance of 672 million dollars of assets belonging to a Cypriot company of the Russian oligarch, including mansions, private jets and superyachts. Backdated documents were also allegedly used to hide a fortune of more than $10 billion and reduce taxable amounts in Cyprus. A specialist in financial law cited by the BBC considers that the elements combined correspond to obvious tax fraud.
The lawyers of the former owner of Chelsea, who bought the London club in 2003 before selling it in 2022 under pressure from British sanctions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, deny any tax fraud and any voluntary concealment of his fortune. They assure that there is no evidence that Abramovich knew or had authorized the falsification of the documents, stressing that it was legitimate to rely on the advice of professionals. For its part, Deloitte Cyprus claims to act in compliance with applicable laws and indicates that it cannot comment precisely on accusations relating to documents more than twenty years old. The investigation comes as £5.4 billion of assets linked to the oligarch remain frozen in Jersey, where a criminal investigation has been open for four years.
