Dark clouds gather over former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich

Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is suspected of evading taxes with the assistance of audit firm Deloitte and corporate services provider MeritServus.

TodayPress TV reports, citing the BBC.

According to an investigative report based on thousands of leaked documents, the assets of Amiscan Investments — including a mansion in West Sussex, an apartment in London, a property in the south of France, private jets, helicopters and the Pelorus yacht — were transferred to a parent company in the British Virgin Islands in 2006. However, the transaction documents were backdated to 2003. Deloitte Cyprus reviewed the documents and confirmed a report indicating that assets worth $672 million had gone missing.

The investigation also examines Kravin Investments, which reportedly held approximately $2 billion in Cypriot accounts, and Electus Investments, which held more than $10 billion in Abramovich’s business assets. According to the report, documents with altered dates were prepared for these entities to avoid Cyprus tax on interest income.

Abramovich, who is believed to be living in Turkey, is a subject of a criminal investigation in Jersey, where assets worth £5.4 billion ($7.1 billion) belonging to him have been frozen. His legal team has denied the allegations, stating that the businessman was not involved in the operational management of the companies and did not authorise the falsification of documents.

Deloitte Cyprus, meanwhile, said it had acted in accordance with the law and declined to comment on the details, citing the fact that the documents dated back more than 20 years and were no longer accessible.

It is worth recalling that Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea from 2003 to 2022 was marked by five Premier League titles and two Champions League victories. The club was sold in 2022 following the imposition of sanctions against him.

Namiq HUN