Filomena Kyriacou, a Sydney accountant with connections to several high-profile individuals, is being sued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for over $3 million in unpaid taxes. Despite her role in managing her clients’ tax affairs, Kyriacou has allegedly failed to address her own tax obligations since 2016.
Kyriacou, who was a director at the Kogarah-based firm Wentworth Williams, is facing legal action in the NSW Supreme Court. The ATO claims she owes $3,055,109, including $945,276 in income tax for the financial year ending June 30, 2017, and $718,920 for the following year, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Penalties amounting to $1.3 million have been added to her debt.
The ATO initiated legal proceedings against the 58-year-old accountant last year but has struggled to locate her. Despite their efforts, she has been seen enjoying Sydney’s nightlife and traveling. Reports have placed her at the Elvis: Musical Revolution show at the State Theatre and on a luxury cruise from Sydney to Tasmania. She has also been spotted driving a luxury BMW around Sydney.
During the last court hearing on June 3, Registrar Jennifer Hedge instructed the ATO to provide further information to support an application to serve Kyriacou with legal documents via alternative means, as she has not appeared at any court dates.
Kyriacou is currently defending four other cases in the Supreme Court. The Commonwealth Bank is suing her over a mortgage worth about $1 million.
Finance firms Reliance Financial Services and Accolade Advisory are pursuing separate cases against her for over $500,000 in alleged unpaid fees and a $1 million loan. Kyriacou is also being sued by her firm, Wentworth Williams, over allegations of taking more than $1 million from the company, a claim she refutes.
Her links to organised crime figures are surfacing in other court cases. Adam Cranston, Australia’s most notorious tax fraudster, was revealed to have been an employee of Kyriacou at Wentworth Williams before his imprisonment.
Kyriacou, however, has not been accused of any criminal behaviour in this matter.
She was banned by the Tax Practitioners Board in 2020 from acting as a tax agent due to unpaid taxes.
She is also the mother of George Kyriacou, a former police officer who left the force after a texting scandal. He later became an accountant and briefly married Coco Stedman known from Married At First Sight reality TV show.
