Troubled Italian food giant Parmalat has sued its former auditors Deloitte & Touche and Grant Thornton for at least US$10bn for allegedly failing to properly audit the company and therefore prevent a massive accounting scandal at the company.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


Parmalat said it was suing Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Grant Thornton International, and their Italian and US affiliates, in the lawsuit that was filed this week in the US, reported Reuters.


“Because the defendants failed to properly audit Parmalat and in many cases with defendants’ active participation, something in the order of $10bn has gone out the door and been stolen, squandered or wasted by Parmalat insiders,” the company was quoted by Reuters as saying.


Parmalat’s new management claimed auditors from Grant Thornton had been conspiring with the Italian company’s former management, while auditors at Deloitte had repeatedly failed to spot the warning signs.


Both Deloitte and Grant Thornton said the lawsuit was unjustified.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Late last year billions of euros were found to be missing from Parmalat’s accounts. Several former executives of the company, including founder Calisto Tanzi, are facing fraud charges in Italy.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact