Major scandals involving Deloitte, PwC, EY and KPMG — including audit failures, corporate collapses, regulatory investigations, confidentiality breaches, conflicts of interest, whistleblower allegations and litigation.
The Big Four — Deloitte, PwC, EY and KPMG — occupy an unusual position in the global economy.
They audit many of the world’s largest companies, advise corporations and governments, and operate international networks spanning audit, tax, consulting, deals and technology. Their work gives them access to some of the most sensitive financial and commercial information in business.
That position has also placed the firms at the centre of some of the most significant corporate and professional-services scandals of recent decades.
Big4News documents these cases through independent reporting, analysis, dedicated scandal hubs and detailed timelines. This page brings together those resources, providing a central reference for examining the conduct and accountability of the world’s four largest audit networks.
Explore the Scandal Hubs
Big4News scandal hubs bring together reporting, investigations, analysis and subsequent developments relating to major controversies involving the Big Four.
KPMG Australia Audit Leaks Scandal
A comprehensive collection of reporting on the KPMG Australia confidentiality scandal, including whistleblower allegations, admitted breaches, internal investigations, leadership departures, regulatory scrutiny, government restrictions and client fallout.
Tracking PwC’s involvement in the China Evergrande collapse, regulatory findings in mainland China and Hong Kong, multibillion-dollar litigation and questions about auditor independence, professional responsibility and the structure of the global PwC network.
Explore the Scandal Timelines
Big4News also maintains four detailed timelines documenting major scandals and their consequences. These chronological resources distinguish established findings from allegations and unresolved proceedings, and are updated as new developments emerge.
Global Big Four Scandal Timeline
A chronological record of major scandals involving Deloitte, PwC, EY and KPMG worldwide, from the Enron collapse in 2001 to the present. The timeline covers audit failures, regulatory enforcement, professional misconduct, confidentiality breaches, conflicts of interest and significant unresolved allegations.
The Full KPMG Australia Scandal Timeline
Following the KPMG Australia audit-leaks scandal from the original whistleblower disclosures through the firm’s changing admissions, investigations, leadership departures, disciplinary action, regulatory scrutiny and commercial consequences.
The Full PwC Evergrande Scandal Timeline
Tracing Evergrande’s financial history, collapse and liquidation, the regulatory investigations into PwC’s audit work, subsequent sanctions and shareholder compensation arrangements, and continuing litigation involving PwC entities.
The Full Deloitte MeritServus Abramovich Scandal Timeline
Examining the longstanding relationship between Deloitte Cyprus, MeritServus and Roman Abramovich, including offshore corporate structures, continuing business connections following MeritServus’s separation from Deloitte, and investigative allegations involving more than 1,000 backdated corporate records. Deloitte denies wrongdoing.
Why These Cases Matter
Big Four scandals frequently extend far beyond the conduct of an individual auditor, partner or engagement team.
They can raise wider questions about auditor independence, professional scepticism, conflicts of interest, whistleblower protection, client confidentiality, the effectiveness of internal investigations and the ability of regulators to oversee enormous multidisciplinary professional-services organisations.
Some also expose a structural question at the heart of the Big Four model: how responsibility should be allocated across international networks that present themselves commercially as global organisations while operating through legally separate national member firms.
The cases collected here provide a way of examining those questions across firms, jurisdictions and time.
An Evolving Resource
Big Four Scandals is a growing Big4News research resource.
New scandal hubs and detailed timelines will be added as the archive expands. Existing resources will continue to be updated as investigations progress, courts issue decisions, regulators take action and new evidence emerges.
Big4News distinguishes between allegations, regulatory findings, settlements and established court findings. The inclusion of a case does not imply that a firm has been found liable or guilty of wrongdoing. Where allegations are contested or proceedings remain unresolved, that status is identified in the underlying coverage.
About Claudine Cassar
I’m a corporate anthropologist and former Deloitte equity partner. I sold my technology business to Deloitte in 2016 and led the Malta Consulting team for five years. I am the founder and editor of Big4News, which provides independent, clear analysis of PwC, Deloitte, EY, and KPMG — free from corporate spin.
Find me on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, or my author website.
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