The Cyprus police have opened an investigation into the financial activities and tax affairs of Roman Abramovich. The inquiry concerns operations from 2003−2006 and began after the publication of a leak of documents.
Journalistic investigation revealed possible forged documents
According to the investigation, the businessman’s aides, including staff at Deloitte Cyprus, may have forged documents that described the structure of Abramovich’s offshore companies. The materials refer to the possible backdating of documents in relation to assets worth billions of pounds sterling.
The journalists cited a leak of documents called Cyprus Confidential; the leak included more than 500,000 documents. The report states that such documents could have helped avoid taxes and conceal assets.
Cyprus police collect evidence
The launch of the investigation was disclosed during a meeting of the Cyprus parliamentary committee on institutions, values and the Commissioner for Administration. The meeting discussed evidence related to the published materials.
Andreas Anastasiades, assistant director of the Cyprus police’s department for combating crime, said law enforcement began collecting evidence after the publication of the journalistic investigation.
Responses from Abramovich and Deloitte Cyprus
The former Chelsea owner has previously denied any wrongdoing and said he relied on the advice of professional advisers. He did not accept the facts set out in the leak, stating there were no breaches.
Deloitte Cyprus said it “operates in accordance with all applicable laws” and added that, given the considerable time since the events described, it no longer has access to the relevant materials. The firm emphasised its compliance with legal requirements in its activities.
