The estate of Gianni Agnelli, the former chairman of Fiat, is the center of a family dispute in Italy. Agnelli’s daughter, a primary beneficiary of Agnelli’s estate, claims that the estate contains undeclared assets held in Swiss accounts, worth as much as $1 billion. Her mother, the other primary beneficiary of the estate, denies the claim. Currently, Italy’s tax authorities are investigating the estate, and a final court decision on the matter is expected in November.
See Vincent Boland, Family dispute rouses authorities’ interest, Fin. Times, Aug. 14, 2009; Vincent Boland and Giulia Segreti, Italy opens tax inquiry over Agnelli estate, Fin. Times, Aug. 13, 2009.
Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.
