PricewaterhouseCoopers in Russia has triumphed in its long-running legal battle over Yukos after its appeal was upheld and the case dropped. The firm had been accused of assisting its former client to avoid paying tax. But today the first ruling against PwC, made in Moscow by the First Instance and Appellation Courts, was thrown out by the Region Federal Arbitrazh Court. According to the firm, the case has now been terminated by the court and concludes legal proceedings. The firm's legal battle began in 2006 when the Russian tax authorities accused it of helping the oil firm evade taxes during its 2002 audit and further accused the firm of audit irregularities between 2002 and 2004. The firm had long maintained its audits were above board and denied assisting Yukos in tax evasion. Yukos finally declared bankruptcy in 2006 after finding itself in $30bn (£19bn) of debt following tax bills from the authorities that constituted claims for back taxes after the first accusations of tax evasion emerged. PwC said in a statement: 'We are very pleased with the court's decision. The court has made the correct ruling in this case, particularly given that one of the defendants, Yukos, no longer exists. This is good news for PwC, as well as for the Russian and international business communities. As always we continue to focus our energy on growing and developing our business in Russia.'