Vitesse accountants given record fine by Dutch regulator

The Dutch financial regulator has handed a record fine to the auditor of Vitesse, the football club mired in a financial scandal.

International accountancy firm BDO, which is in charge of overseeing the club’s finances, was fined €1.3m (£1.1m) after being investigated for anti-money-laundering violations.

According to a published decision, the fine related to “unusual” transactions between Vitesse, the club’s holding company and its former owner, Valery Oyf. The Dutch Financial Supervision Office said that these should have been reported to financial crime investigators over money-laundering concerns.

The news comes after reporting last year by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) revealed a network of hidden financial links between Roman Abramovich and Oyf.

The regulator’s investigation focused on three payments totalling €6.2m. It said the payments were insufficiently documented and the origins of the money were not clear.

BDO intends to appeal the decision.

Earlier this year TBIJ and the Guardian used leaked documents to show how virtually all the money invested into the club by Oyf ultimately derived from Abramovich, his business associate.

TBIJ and the Guardian had previously revealed a huge network of loans through which Abramovich secretly bankrolled Vitesse to the tune of over €100 million. The investigation was based on the Cyprus Confidential files, leaked documents shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and Paper Trail Media.

The findings triggered investigations by the KNVB (the Dutch football association) and the Dutch government.

In April, the KNVB gave Vitesse a record 18-point deduction, sealing its relegation from the country’s top league for the first time in 35 years.

Vitesse was temporarily stripped of its professional licence before a takeover of the club was agreed over the summer. It also received another points deduction for giving the KNVB incorrect information related to “sanctions legislation”.

A spokesperson for BDO told TBIJ it did not believe the fine was in line with Dutch law. The spokesperson added: “We take our role as gatekeeper extremely seriously and carry it out with care. We do not want to give the impression that we underestimate these obligations or let other interests lead us in carrying out these obligations.”

Vitesse told TBIJ it was unsure what, if any, consequences there would be for the club. A spokesperson said: “We are monitoring the situation very precisely and will share more information once there is more clarity.”