Deloitte bantu Roman Abramovich sembunyi aset USD10 bilion, elak cukai, menurut laporan

Roman Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea Football Club, is being investigated by Deloitte Cyprus for allegedly hiding at least USD10 billion in assets and evading millions in taxes through falsified documents, according to a report published on Monday by Anadolu Agency, BBC, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, The Guardian, and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

The investigation, which involved over 1,000 records dating back to 1999 to 2013, revealed how documents were altered to create a false appearance of ownership for Abramovich's companies, allowing them to avoid public scrutiny.

In one instance, a document's date was manipulated to make it appear as though Electus Investments, based in Cyprus, owned assets worth over USD10 billion, which were actually held by another company registered in the British Virgin Islands. This allowed the ownership to escape mandatory disclosure to the public. In another case, Deloitte's financial statements for Abramovich's company, Amiscan Investments, did not include assets such as a luxury yacht, a private jet worth USD672 million, belonging to the company.

The investigation also uncovered a tax evasion scheme involving around USD2 billion held by Kravin Investments. The falsified dates of the documents made the relevant funds appear to be owned by companies in other jurisdictions, potentially allowing Kravin Investments to avoid millions in taxes on profits.

Abramovich's lawyers deny that he has hidden assets, evaded taxes, or knowingly participated in the falsification of dates, insisting that he is acting within the bounds of professional advice. Deloitte Cyprus stated that it acted in accordance with the law and cannot comment on confidential documents older than 20 years. The investigation found no evidence of Deloitte setting up entities outside of Cyprus.

Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea Football Club, has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom in response to his alleged ties to President Vladimir Putin following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.