A Miserable 2017 for PriceWaterhouseCoopers Just Got Worse – Fortune
Accounting firm PwC has had a 2017 to forgetbut it just got even worse.
First there was the embarrassing gaffe at this year's Oscar's ceremony, which led to the wrong winner being announced for the Best Picture award, the climax of the evening.
But in business and reputation terms, much worse has followed that. In March, it settled with the administrators of collapsed investment firm MF Global , which had been suing PwC for $3 billion in damages from what it claimed was poor accounting.
Then in June, the U.K.'s Financial Reporting Council started an investigation into its audits of telecom company's BT plc's operations in Italy . BT has taken a charge of nearly $700 million against the unit, which was raided in May by Italian police on suspicion of fraud.
Read : PwC Is Keeping Its Job Handing Out the Oscars Envelopes
Now, it's being tarred and feathered by Ukraine due to its auditing of the country's second-largest bank, PrivatBank, which collapsed last year. The collapse necessitated a multi-billion dollar bailout, indirectly funded by the International Monetary Fund.
The National Bank of Ukraine, the country's central bank, said late Thursday it had revoked the license of PwC to audit local banks, saying that it had verified "misrepresented financial information in the financial statements" of Privat.
PwC, which had audited the bank for over a decade, said it was "very disappointed" by the decision.
"We do not believe that the reasons given by the NBU justify its decision," the firm said in an e-mailed statement, adding that it will "examine all options for reversing this decision."
Read : Ukraine Blames Russian Security Services for Recent Cyber Attack
The NBU's action catches PwC squarely in the middle of a battle for control of the country and its economy, one that has been fought out between various governments and an often shadowy business elite over a quarter of a century.
Last month, the Ukrainian government had said it could need up to another $1.5 billion to fill the holes in Privat's balance sheet, created by bad loans made to its owners and their associates. That's on top of a $4.2 billion capital shortfall disclosed in the bank's 2016 report.
Any losses that can't be recovered from the bank's borrowers will have to be covered, ultimately, out of a $17.5 billion IMF loan package, to be repaid, ultimately, by taxpayers.
Ukraine's bailout was agreed to in haste after Russia's invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014 finally exposed the fragility of an economy and financial system run through with corruption. Its currency, the hryvnia, has lost over two-thirds of its value against the dollar since 2014, further exacerbating poverty in what was already one of the poorest countries in Europe.
The IMF had insisted on an exhaustive clean-up of the banking system as a condition for the loan. Many had doubted it would enforce those conditions thoroughly, given that the U.S. and EU, whose governments effectively control IMF policy, wanted to stop the country being broken up by Vladimir Putin's Russia. But the NBU took to the task with relish, closing over 80 institutions thatin realitywere little more than piggy-banks for their owners.
Read : Trump: I Wouldnt Have Appointed Sessions If Id Known About Russia Recusal
The NBU taking Privat into special administration at the end of 2016 was widely seen as the strongest proof to date of its seriousness. Privat was not only the biggest locally-owned bank, with over 20% of all retail deposits in the country and processing more than 60% of its electronic transfers. It was also backed by the man widely seen as the most powerful of all the oligarchs in the anti-Russian west of the country, Ihor Kolomoysky.
Kolomoysky had been politically untouchable for years, and it was he who bankrolled the militias that stopped the advance of Russian-backed rebels through eastern Ukraine in 2014. But the IMF's pressure meant that President Petro Poroshenko was forced to sacrifice a relationship that had previously worked to his advantage. That led to him firing Kolomoysky from his position as a regional governor and ejecting his managers from notionally state-controlled companies like pipeline operator Ukrtransnafta .
Kolomoysky and his partner Hennady Boholyubov have repeatedly denied the NBU's claims. More recently, they have sued the government and the NBU in a Kiev court to have themselves reinstated as owners of the bank, claiming that the NBU's seizure was unnecessary and unlawful. Their case was somewhat weakened when the government, in reaction, leaked a letter to Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, at the end of 2016, admitting that the bank could not carry on operating without state support, urging the government to take it over and promising not to interfere with its future management.
Kateryna Rozhkova, the NBU deputy governor who has presided over the crackdown, isn't letting things rest yet. In a statement on the Privat case e-mailed to Fortune , she said that: "There will also be a thorough investigation whether criminal offenses have been committed. If they have, those responsible must be brought to justice.
Read the original here:
A Miserable 2017 for PriceWaterhouseCoopers Just Got Worse - Fortune
- Zelenskyy warns of logistics terror as Russia hits Ukraine railway - Al Jazeera - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ukraine war latest: Trump unveils trade deal that will help 'END' Ukraine war - Sky News - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ukraine may get more than Gripen jets Europe's top air-to-air missile is also on the table - Business Insider - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ukraine live: Moscow says foreign troops in Ukraine would be targets in new threat - The Independent - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- US-brokered talks on Russias war on Ukraine will resume in Abu Dhabi - AP News - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Trump says Putin agreed to pause attacks on Ukraine for a week - Anadolu Ajans - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Kenyan job seekers were lured to Russia, then sent to die in Ukraine - The Washington Post - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- In response to released Epstein files, Russia's envoy says 'satanist cabal' exploited situation in Ukraine - Anadolu Ajans - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv reschedules peace talks as battered power grid strains in -15C - The Guardian - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Greek joint venture will supply US LNG to Ukraine in March - Reuters - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- History of the word "zhyd" in Ukraine: From widespread use to marginalization - Ukrainian Jewish Encounter - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ukraine gets $235 million boost from DOD with long-term F-16 maintenance deal - Stars and Stripes - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ukraine war latest: Russian forces trying to 'bypass and infiltrate' Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, military says - The Kyiv Independent - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ukraine Is Winning The Economics Battle Against Russian Geran Drones - Forbes - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Tuesday, February 2. Russias War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine - Forbes - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- US-brokered talks on Russias war on Ukraine will resume in Abu Dhabi - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ukraine's Zelenskiy says dignified, lasting peace realistic, ahead of talks - Reuters - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Trkiye marks 34 years of diplomatic ties with Ukraine - Trkiye Today - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- First U.S. LNG Sale Agreement Signed with Ukraine - Shipping Telegraph - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Owner of Polish hotel that hosted anti-Ukrainian far-right leader to donate proceeds to Ukraine - Notes From Poland - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Gaza Reconstruction; Ukraine Reconstruction Its All Business OpEd - Eurasia Review - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Donald Trump envoy Steve Witkoff to hold Russia Ukraine talks in UAE - The Jerusalem Post - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ukraine war talks delayed to Wednesday, Zelensky says - Yahoo News Singapore - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- US has told Ukraine it must sign peace deal with Russia to get security guarantees, source says - Reuters - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Opinion | A Slow-Cooked Peace in Ukraine - The Wall Street Journal - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- 'Normal life has disappeared': Russia's energy offensive plunges Ukraine into dark and bitter cold - ABC News - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Blocking the Russian army: Ukraine's impossible mission - Le Monde.fr - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine war briefing: US reports constructive peace talks with Russia as Zelenskyy pushes for results - The Guardian - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine: US envoy reports 'constructive' talks with Russia amid mass power outage in Kyiv - France 24 - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Power outages hit Ukraine and Moldova as Kyiv struggles against the winter cold - ABC News - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Zelenskyy seeks 50,000 Russian losses a month to win the Ukraine war - Al Jazeera - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine Cant Defend the Entire Front. Russia Is Finding the Gaps. - The New York Times - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Russia's Medvedev says victory will come soon in Ukraine war - Reuters - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine receives bodies of 1,000 soldiers from Russia - Al Jazeera - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy fears rising US-Iran tensions will scupper key peace talks in UAE - The Guardian - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- U.S. Envoy Reports 'Constructive' Ukraine Talks With Russia - The Moscow Times - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Troop Casualties in Ukraine War Near 2 Million, Study Finds - The New York Times - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Russian Strikes On Ukraine Kill Two Authorities - The Moscow Times - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine and Moldova hit by blackouts from grid malfunction before power restored - Reuters - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Zelenskyy announces next round of talks with US, Russia as Ukraine aims for 'real and dignified end to the war - Fox News - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Russia launched over 6,000 drones, 5,500 bombs, 158 missiles at Ukraine in Jan Zelensky - Ukrinform - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Russia claims to have captured more villages in Ukraine - Anadolu Ajans - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Zelensky says Ukraine-Russia-US talks to be held in Abu Dhabi starting Wednesday - The Times of Israel - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Next Weeks Ukraine Talks to Proceed as Winter Crisis Intensifies - Modern Diplomacy - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine War, Day 1,438: Witkoff Declares "Productive and Constructive Meetings" with Kremlin's Dmitriev - EA WorldView - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- New meeting in trilateral Russia-US-Ukraine format to take place in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4-5: Zelenskyy - Anadolu Ajans - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Russia suffers heaviest losses since World War 2 as casualties in Ukraine conflict near 2 million - The Independent - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Germany is betting big on killer drones. In Ukraine, they couldnt hit their targets. - politico.eu - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine, US, Russia to meet in UAE next week for new round of peace talks, Zelensky says - The Kyiv Independent - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow suffers heaviest battle losses since WWII with 1.2 million casualties - The Independent - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine war latest: Zelenskyy proposes 'least problematic solution' to territorial issue - and sends Kyiv dare to Putin - Sky News - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Zelenskyy announces next round of talks with US, Russia as Ukraine aims for real and dignified end to the war - wwbl.com - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Ukraine Peace Talks End on Positive Note as Zelensky Teases Future Meeting - The New York Times - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Kremlin sticks to demand that Ukraine cede all of Donbas in talks, TASS reports - Reuters - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Ukraine war latest: US insists Trump not giving up on peace ahead of Sunday talks - The Independent - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Talks With US and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi Were Constructive but Major Challenges Remain, Kremlin Says - Military.com - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Russia Cuts Its Disability Count As War Against Ukraine Wounds Hundreds of Thousands - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Bloc of Germany's Merz sceptical over prospects of Ukraine joining EU - - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Heres the latest on the first trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and US as negotiators set plans for future meeting - CNN - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Russia Says Talks to End War in Ukraine Will Continue - The New York Times - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Peace talks on Russia-Ukraine war end as fighting rages - BBC - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Talks with US and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi were constructive but major challenges remain, Kremlin says - ABC News - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Hungarys Orbn accuses Ukraine of election interference and summons ambassador - AP News - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Ukraine hails first trilateral talks with Russia and US as constructive as Washington says mood very upbeat - CNN - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Envoys travel the globe to push a US plan for ending Russias war in Ukraine - AP News - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- January 23, 2026 Trumps NATO remarks; US, Russia and Ukraine war talks - CNN - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Kremlin Reaffirms Demand for Ukraine to Cede All of Donbas After Abu Dhabi Talks - UNITED24 Media - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Official: Talks with U.S. and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi were constructive but major challenges remain - post-gazette.com - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Russian Forces Are Liquidating the Catholic Church in Occupied Ukraine - National Catholic Register - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Hungary's Orbn accuses Ukraine of election interference and summons ambassador - WRAL - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Signs of progress in Russia-Ukraine peace talks after trilateral negotiations - Washington Times - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- First Trilateral Ukraine Peace Talks Ended Exactly As Expected With Russia Demanding More - HuffPost UK - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- New Photos Show Evolution Of 'Hedgehog Armor' In Ukraine - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Talks with U.S. and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi were constructive but major challenges remain, Kremlin says - latimes.com - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Ukraine Becomes First to Feed Troops With AI Robotic Kitchens on the Front Line - UNITED24 Media - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Zelensky reveals US security deal for Ukraine is 100% ready to be signed as Kremlin gives update on peace talks - The Sun - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Ukraine war latest: Millions of Ukrainians without heating in -13C after Russian attack; second day of peace talks end - Sky News - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Ukraine is not losing the war, but it cannot fight forever - Michael McFaul | Substack - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Ukraine: Zelensky upbeat on US deal but Davos showed the US president to be an unreliable ally - The Conversation - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Pope Leo appeals for peace in Ukraine and in all war-torn regions - Vatican News - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]