Execs on leave as tax leak hits PwC

Embattled consultancy giant Pricewaterhouse Coopers has directed nine partners to take immediate leave and apologised to Australians as the fallout from its tax advice scandal continues.

PwC Australia’s acting chief executive, Kristin Stubbins, issued an open letter on Monday apologising on behalf of the company for the leaking of confidential information on government tax policy.

The firm has told nine partners, including members of its executive and governance boards, to go on leave, effective immediately, pending the outcome of its ongoing investigation into the incident.

Ms Stubbins apologised to the public, to the federal government, to PwC’s clients and to its 10,000 “hardworking, values-driven” partners and staff in Australia who have been “unfairly impacted”.

Her letter comes after Treasury last week referred former PwC executive Peter Collins to the Australian Federal Police.

The AFP has confirmed it has launched a criminal investigation into allegations Mr Collins shared confidential government information about changes to tax laws with partners, staff and clients that would be affected by them.

Dozens of PwC partners also received emails related to plans to use the secret information to win new clients, and the AFP has said its investigation may widen if it suspects other individuals were implicated in the leaks.

But Ms Stubbins is resisting calls to release the names of the other PwC employees who were allegedly involved in the scandal.

“I fully understand and acknowledge the calls for PwC to release the names of the individuals in the emails released by the Senate on May 2,” she said.

“There has been an assumption by some that all those whose names have been redacted must necessarily be involved in wrongdoing. That is incorrect.”

The Greens are pushing to table in parliament a list of 36 PwC partners named in emails related to the leaking of confidential government tax advice.