The French entity, formerly known as Quatre Juillet Maison Blanche (QJMB), has put out an announcement saying it has engaged criminal procedures in France against Andersen Tax for criminal conspiracy, forgery, use of forged documents and organised fraud.

QJMB adopted the name Arthur Andersen in 2013 and claims it ‘exclusively and legitimately’ owns the trademarks. In its statement, the firm said it was ‘putting a lot of effort into ending and strictly sanctioning the illegal actions committed by Andersen Tax since 2014’, which it claims were all implemented ‘in order to appropriate fraudulently’ the Andersen trademarks.

The French Arthur Andersen says it reopened its operation network on March 1, 2017, with members in 16 different countries and 26 offices, and now claims it ‘has been victim of many hostile actions and has been persistently denigrated by Andersen Tax representatives and their accomplices’.

It says some of its affiliated members, notably in the US, in Brazil and in India, have had to stop the use of the Arthur Andersen and Andersen brands, which it alleges is the result of ‘the threat and the constant harassment of Andersen Tax.’

The French statement goes on to say: ‘The illegal actions carried out by Andersen Tax were exposed by the proceedings in France, India and in the US, where forged documents aiming to mislead courts, professionals and national offices for trademarks were transmitted.’

As a result of this, Arthur Andersen & Co president Stéphane Laffont-Réveilhac is said to have brought a criminal summons in the Paris courts against US-based Andersen Tax and its CEO Mark Vorsatz, and the Attorneys General in the US, India, Brazil, and the Netherlands Antilles.

Stéphane Laffont-Réveilhac, president of Arthur Andersen & Co, said: ‘Andersen Tax directors have openly cheated and lied, to the detriment of the public, some Judges, the Arthur Andersen’s alumni, their own employees and affiliated members. Such conducts are offensive and inexcusable.

‘That’s the opposite of Arthur Andersen’s historical values.

‘The difficulties that we are facing will only make our network stronger. We are fighting this situation united with our members, with courage, humbleness and determination. We are free and most of all proud of the work we are doing in order to regain the excellence of Arthur Andersen worldwide. We are continuing our relentless efforts to rebuild the network.’

The original Arthur Andersen firm collapsed following the Enron accounting scandal in the early 2000s.

In September 2014 the US tax consultancy Wealth & Tax Advisory Services (WTAS), which was set up in 2002 by CEO Mark Vorsatz and 22 former Arthur Andersen partners, rebranded as Andersen Tax and announced its intention to develop an international entity called Andersen Global.  It currently has a presence in 64 locations worldwide.

In its response to the announcement from France, the US firm said: ‘This is nothing more than an attempt to distract attention from the fact that the group claiming to be Arthur Andersen & Co (formerly QJMB), indeed has no valid rights to the Andersen name. 

‘Despite their latest efforts to mislead the news media and the public by making statements that are demonstrably false, this group has been exposed for what they are.

‘Not only do they lack a real presence in many of the locations they claim are part of their “network”, the courts in the US, India, Brazil and Japan have determined that the French firm and its supposed members operating in these countries violated Andersen Tax’s rights in the Andersen name.  Further, they have ordered those involved to cease using a trademark that doesn’t belong to them.’