EY said it believes the Irish company to be owned by Igor Sechin, chief executive of Russian oil giant Rosneft. Photograph: Dmitry Astakhov/Sputnik/AFPIreland has resigned as auditor to an Irish company it believes to be owned by a sanctioned head of Russian oil giantIn a letter dated July 5th, the Big Four accountancy firm informed the Registrar of Companies that it has resigned with immediate effect as auditor to Rosneft Designated Activity Company, an entity registered in the Republic.
In keeping with its obligations under the Companies Act, EY, which provided audit services to the company from 2014, said in the letter: “We would draw the attention of members and creditors to the fact that Igor Ivanovich Sechin has been listed in annex 1 of the regulation and that the services we provide to Rosneft International DAC are prohibited.”
EY Ireland told The Irish Times that it had not provided any services to the Rosneft entity since February 2022 but declined to say why it took almost 2½ years for it to resign and notify the registrar. In response to questions a spokesman for the firm said: “EY Ireland confirms that it has provided no audit or other services to Rosneft International DAC since February 2022.