Roman Abramovich denies BBC tax fraud claims

Roman Abramovich denied tax fraud allegations on Tuesday after a BBC investigation alleged that documents were falsified to conceal his wealth and help one of his companies evade tax.

The law firm Kobre & Kim, representing Abramovich, said no evidence had been provided that he knew of, authorised or directed the falsification or backdating of any document. The lawyers said Abramovich denied evading tax, concealing his fortune or any wrongdoing, and said he was not involved in the day-to-day operation of the companies concerned.

The BBC reported that superyachts, private jets and mansions worth $672 million disappeared from accounts for one Abramovich company that were signed off by Deloitte in Cyprus in 2006. It also reported that associates hid the fortunes of two other companies, worth nearly $2 billion and more than $10 billion, from Cypriot authorities.

The BBC said documents were backdated in all three cases with the involvement of MeritServus, a now-closed company that was owned by Deloitte until 2005. Deloitte's Cyprus branch told AFP it acts in compliance with applicable laws and declined to comment further.

Abramovich was sanctioned by Britain over what it described as his close ties to the Kremlin after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He was forced to sell Chelsea football club in 2022, and the roughly £2.5 billion in proceeds remains frozen in a British bank account.