On 21 May, the Dutch independent journalistic group “Follow The Money” published an investigation into the cooperation of three of the largest and most influential audit companies in the world, KPMG, Deloitte, and PwC. These three companies had clients in Chechnya, until the start of the war in Ukraine, which runs counter to their officially declared corporate values. 

Three weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, KPMG announced that it would become the developer of the industrial development strategy for the federal republic. In October 2021, the firm was one of the organisers of the Islamic Economic Forum in Grozny, which was opened by Prime Minister of the Chechen government, Muslim Khuchiev, who has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019 due to "serious violations of human rights" and "participation in torture."

Deloitte representatives met with Khuchiev in Grozny in 2014, and, according to the Chechen official press, "expressed their hope for further cooperation in order to create and promote a positive investment image of the republic."

In 2017, the Russian division of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) developed "Recommendations for investing in the Chechen Republic" with a foreword by Ramzan Kadyrov himself and an appeal to Western companies to invest in Chechnya. This document is not currently available.

The fourth member of the Big Four, Ernst & Young, said it was not active in Chechnya, but did not respond to Follow The Money's numerous inquiries about past activities.

Follow The Money draws attention to the contrast between the declared values ​​of corporations and their actual activities.

Thus, KPMG declares "commitment to the highest ethical standards." "We expect our clients to respect internationally recognized human rights. When risks relating to human rights are detected, we take action." All KPMG divisions must conduct an assessment of potential customers, including on the subject of ethical cooperation with them.

Deloitte believes in "cultivating an inclusive culture" and PwC says it "shouldn't do business with clients of dubious reputation."

All three companies have joined the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which oblige businesses to "detect, prevent and mitigate any violation of human rights." In addition, PwC is one of the key sponsors of the Amsterdam Gay Pride and LGBT rights events around the world.

All this, the investigation notes, did not prevent these companies from cooperating with the Chechen authorities, known for the gravest human rights violations, including torture and extrajudicial executions, against both opponents of the Kadyrov regime and members of the LGBT community.