Russia expands lawsuit against PwC over Yukos involvement
Lawsuit again PwC heats up as Russia’s federal tax service demands more information about PwC’s advice to Yukos on tax avoidance
PwC Russisa… back in court
The Russian federal tax service expanded a case against
PricewaterhouseCoopers last Friday, calling for the auditor and prosecutors to
produce documents, showing PwC advised the now bankrupt oil company
Yukos to avoid taxes.
PwC and the Russian prosecutor general’s office were subpoenaed during a
hearing at Moscow’s ninth arbitration appeal court of PwC’s appeal against a
ruling earlier this year, which found
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Audit, PwC’s Russia branch, had colluded to sign “false” audits.
Judges at the hearing granted a tax service request that PwC provide
information about what it called the firm’s help to Yukos on registering firms
abroad, creating trust agreements and “option” schemes to control foreign firms
and the “siphoning of assets out of Russia via oil trading firms”, according to
news agency Interfax.
PwC is the biggest auditor in Russia, employing more than 1500 people and
auditing firms such as Gazprom, Alfa Group and the Central Bank.
Further Reading:
PwC gets boost over Yukos audit work