The Frenchman who is suspected of leaking documents on tax deals between Luxemburg and multinational companies, causing the LuxLeaks scandal, says he is not alone. “I am just one element of a bigger movement”, says Antoine Deltour, 28, charged with theft and laundering by the Luxemburg courts. This is the first time he has spoken publicly, reported in Libération on Monday.
The revelations concern 28,000 pages of documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). They reveal the role Mr Deltour’s ex-employer, the PWC cabinet, played in the negotiation of the deals, which are legal.
PWC has accused Mr Deltour of obtaining the documents fraudulently when he left the company in 2010, which he denies.
“The day before leaving, you obviously want to capitalize on your professional experience. I copied training documents. But when exploring the PWC database, I found the tax rulings. With no intent or plan in mind, I also copied them as I was shocked by their content”, he explained. He also said he hadn’t “broken through any protection”.
Mr Deltour also says he is not the only one providing documents to the ICIJ.
In LuxLeaks 1 (the practices revealed in November) several internal documents are mentioned that are dated after my departure from PWC. I am not alone”, he added.
In LuxLeaks 2 (second series of revelations in December), there are files concerning other members of the big 4 (in the financial audit): Delotte, KPMG, Ernst&Young”, he says. He regrets all the attention given to his case.
“It’s unfair that Luxemburg should be the only country nailed to the cross, that one cabinet in the audit is mentioned, when these practices are systematic. Aggressive tax planning has been installed in certain States, complex strategies are practiced on an industrial scale in certain cabinets. The legislation will always be one step behind financial ingenuity”, he commented.
(Source: Belga)
