Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan has accused his former financial advisor of stealing a breathtaking £20million that he allegedly helped hide in offshore tax havens.
Philip Egglishaw, the man known as the 'Bowler hat Englishman,' is the alleged mastermind behind Australia's biggest tax evasion scheme.
But now the international fugitive has the Australian actor trying to track him down, with Mr Hogan's advisers taking legal action in the US alleging Mr Egglishaw - who is accused of setting up elaborate corporate structures in tax havens to help his clients evade tax - has stolen his money.
Tax: Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan (seen here with his wife Linda Kozlowski) has accused his former financial advisor Philip Egglishaw of stealing millions of pounds from him
Mr Hogan famously settled a long-running financial dispute with the Australian taxman last year. Now Swiss newspaper Le Matin Dimanche has reported his £20million 'has been lying for almost 20 years' in an account at the Corner Bank in Lausanne' run by the Geneva firm Strachans.
Mr Egglishaw is alleged to have 'absconded with or spent all' of Mr Hogan's millions, according to documents filed in the Californian District court by his representative, Schuyler 'Sky' Moore, one of Los Angeles' top entertainment lawyers.
A report in today's Sydney Morning Herald said that in October last year, Mr Moore emailed Mr Egglishaw's lawyer in Geneva, Paul Gully-Hart.
'The actions of Egglishaw have now crossed the boundary of legality, and he is now engaging in criminal fraud, theft, and breach of fiduciary duty,' Mr Moore said in his email.
Success: Mr Hogan made much of his fortune from the success of the Crocodile Dundee films in which he starred
'The Carthage Trust's beneficiary [Hogan] is not going to stand idly by in the face of this theft, and he is going to take every step possible in every country possible to hold Mr Egglishaw...liable and brought to account.'
Throughout last year, Mr Hogan and his US advisers became increasingly anxious after Mr Egglishaw refused to provide any bank statements or accounts relating to the millions in the Carthage Trust. An added problem for Mr Hogan is that the other signatory to the Carthage account is in jail in Australia.
Philip de Figueiredo, Mr Egglishaw's partner at the firm Strachans, is serving 2½ years in prison. Last month in the Queensland Supreme Court, de Figueiredo pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to defraud the Australian government of more than Australian $4 million in tax.
Lawyer: Mr Hogan, who lives in California, has employed one of the state's top lawyers in a bid to get his money back
His guilty plea related to helping clients avoid paying tax. Strachans' clients include prominent Australian entrepreneur Glenn Wheatley, who has already served time in prison for tax evasion.
Mr De Figueiredo had money laundering charges against him dropped and he has agreed to assist authorities with ongoing investigations. An arrest warrant has been issued for Mr Egglishaw over the same matters. It is believed he is in Switzerland.
Operation Wickenby, a joint investigation by the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Tax Office, has taken years and cost millions of dollars investigating Mr Egglishaw's and de Figueiredo's Australian clients, including Mr Hogan and his comedy sidekick John Cornell.
After years of legal battles, Mr Hogan and Mr Cornell settled with the Australian Tax Office on confidential terms. Its fight with their financial adviser Anthony Stewart continues.
After the Crime Commission and Tax Office began stepping up their inquiries into Hogan in 2005, Mr Egglishaw set up a new trust for Mr Hogan called the Carthage Trust.
This trust replaced the Quatre Saison Trust which was alleged to have been a vehicle set up by Strachans to enable Mr Hogan to stream revenue from his Crocodile Dundee franchise into offshore accounts and thereby avoid paying tax. Mr Hogan disputes this.
The initial beneficiary of the Carthage Trust was listed as the 'British Red Cross' but later documents stated 'the sole intended beneficiary of the Carthage Trust is Mr Hogan, and this structure was adopted to maintain his privacy.'
Philip Egglishaw, the man known as the 'Bowler hat Englishman,' is the alleged mastermind behind Australia's biggest tax evasion scheme.
But now the international fugitive has the Australian actor trying to track him down, with Mr Hogan's advisers taking legal action in the US alleging Mr Egglishaw - who is accused of setting up elaborate corporate structures in tax havens to help his clients evade tax - has stolen his money.
Tax: Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan (seen here with his wife Linda Kozlowski) has accused his former financial advisor Philip Egglishaw of stealing millions of pounds from him
Mr Hogan famously settled a long-running financial dispute with the Australian taxman last year. Now Swiss newspaper Le Matin Dimanche has reported his £20million 'has been lying for almost 20 years' in an account at the Corner Bank in Lausanne' run by the Geneva firm Strachans.
Mr Egglishaw is alleged to have 'absconded with or spent all' of Mr Hogan's millions, according to documents filed in the Californian District court by his representative, Schuyler 'Sky' Moore, one of Los Angeles' top entertainment lawyers.
A report in today's Sydney Morning Herald said that in October last year, Mr Moore emailed Mr Egglishaw's lawyer in Geneva, Paul Gully-Hart.
'The actions of Egglishaw have now crossed the boundary of legality, and he is now engaging in criminal fraud, theft, and breach of fiduciary duty,' Mr Moore said in his email.
Success: Mr Hogan made much of his fortune from the success of the Crocodile Dundee films in which he starred
'The Carthage Trust's beneficiary [Hogan] is not going to stand idly by in the face of this theft, and he is going to take every step possible in every country possible to hold Mr Egglishaw...liable and brought to account.'
Throughout last year, Mr Hogan and his US advisers became increasingly anxious after Mr Egglishaw refused to provide any bank statements or accounts relating to the millions in the Carthage Trust. An added problem for Mr Hogan is that the other signatory to the Carthage account is in jail in Australia.
Philip de Figueiredo, Mr Egglishaw's partner at the firm Strachans, is serving 2½ years in prison. Last month in the Queensland Supreme Court, de Figueiredo pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to defraud the Australian government of more than Australian $4 million in tax.
Lawyer: Mr Hogan, who lives in California, has employed one of the state's top lawyers in a bid to get his money back
His guilty plea related to helping clients avoid paying tax. Strachans' clients include prominent Australian entrepreneur Glenn Wheatley, who has already served time in prison for tax evasion.
Mr De Figueiredo had money laundering charges against him dropped and he has agreed to assist authorities with ongoing investigations. An arrest warrant has been issued for Mr Egglishaw over the same matters. It is believed he is in Switzerland.
Operation Wickenby, a joint investigation by the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Tax Office, has taken years and cost millions of dollars investigating Mr Egglishaw's and de Figueiredo's Australian clients, including Mr Hogan and his comedy sidekick John Cornell.
After years of legal battles, Mr Hogan and Mr Cornell settled with the Australian Tax Office on confidential terms. Its fight with their financial adviser Anthony Stewart continues.
After the Crime Commission and Tax Office began stepping up their inquiries into Hogan in 2005, Mr Egglishaw set up a new trust for Mr Hogan called the Carthage Trust.
This trust replaced the Quatre Saison Trust which was alleged to have been a vehicle set up by Strachans to enable Mr Hogan to stream revenue from his Crocodile Dundee franchise into offshore accounts and thereby avoid paying tax. Mr Hogan disputes this.
The initial beneficiary of the Carthage Trust was listed as the 'British Red Cross' but later documents stated 'the sole intended beneficiary of the Carthage Trust is Mr Hogan, and this structure was adopted to maintain his privacy.'