Cyprus police open investigation into financial affairs of Roman Abramovich

Police in Cyprus have opened an investigation into the financial affairs of Roman Abramovich, following revelations by BBC Panorama that accountancy firm Deloitte helped in falsifying documents to hide his wealth and evade tax.

Serious questions about the integrity of some of Abramovich's professional advisers were raised earlier this month in a joint report from the BBC and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ).

A Cypriot Ministry of Justice official told MPs this week that the report's findings would be looked at as part of a new investigation by the police's Financial Intelligence Unit.

Lawyers for Abramovich have said that he denies evading tax or concealing his fortune. Deloitte Cyprus said it acts "in compliance with applicable laws".

The police investigation was announced at a parliamentary committee meeting in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, held to discuss the combating and prevention of money laundering.

The Ministry of Justice official told MPs the police would try to determine whether any criminal acts had been committed.

Last week, the report from the BBC and TBIJ detailed how accounts signed off by Deloitte in Cyprus in 2006 meant assets such as superyachts, mansions and private jets worth $672m (£508m) vanished from Abramovich's company accounts.

Deloitte, which is the world's largest accountancy firm, also appears to have advised on a scheme to evade a huge tax bill on the oligarch's wealth, through the falsification of documents.

The evidence was contained in leaked files, including thousands of documents about Abramovich's finances and the operations of a network of offshore companies, administered from Cyprus between 1995 and 2022.

The BBC and media partners including TBIJ, the Guardian, Paper Trail Media, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and Cyprus Investigative Reporting Network, have been reporting on the leaked files since 2023 as part of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' Cyprus Confidential investigation.

A representative from the Cypriot police, Andreas Anastasiades, confirmed to MPs that its Financial Crime Unit had already begun to gather evidence, and said the investigation was expected to last several months.

When asked by the BBC if the investigation would look into Deloitte's work, Andreas Anastasiades said: "We will look at any company or person who may be involved."

He added: "We will see if there has been fraud or if some documents have been manipulated."

Panorama - Roman Abramovich: How He Hid His Fortune

Lawyers for Abramovich say that Panorama has provided no evidence that the billionaire knew about, authorised or directed the falsification of any document. They also say it was legitimate for his companies to rely on advice from professionals.

Deloitte Cyprus says it is unable to comment because the documents are more than 20 years old and no longer accessible.

The BBC and TBIJ have previously reported on a tax scheme that allowed Abramovich to dodge millions in tax on the running costs of his yachts.

Following that report, two former company directors have been indicted and are due to stand trial in Cyprus next month over €25m in unpaid VAT.

Mr Abramovich's lawyers previously told the BBC that he had "always obtained independent expert professional tax and legal advice" and "acted in accordance" with it.

Documents falsified to evade tax on Abramovich's wealth, BBC finds