SYDNEY - Paul Hogan, the actor who played the likeable, knockabout character, Mick "Crocodile" Dundee, is being investigated for possible tax evasion by Australian authorities.
Hogan's international hit film, released in 1986, and his advertisements urging tourists to "throw another shrimp on the barbie" were credited with doubling American visitor
figures to Australia.
But the Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday that he and his business partner, John Cornell, were suspected of concealing millions of dollars of royalties in tax havens including Chile and the Dutch Antilles, in the Caribbean.
Hogan and his family allegedly drew funds from automatic teller machines, using cards issued by banks overseas.
Neither Hogan nor Mr Cornell have commented on the allegations, which link them with a Swiss accountant, Philip Egglishaw, whose firm specialises in tax haven advice.
The pair are believed to have reaped tens of millions of dollars from the film and its sequel, although a third film was a flop.
With its story of a rugged bushman who conquers New York, Crocodile Dundee brought the Australian Outback alive, and made Hogan the face of his homeland.
The then Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, declared during a visit to the United States that he was from "Crocodile Dundee country".
Hogan claimed to be just playing himself in the films, but if that was ever true, it ceased to be so after they transformed him into an immensely wealthy man.
In interviews, he admitted that he was "a bit smarter than I make out on the old telly", and said: "I'm not the little Aussie battler anymore. If I can have a Rolls Royce, I'll have a Rolls Royce. That's the whole point of it."
After the success of Crocodile Dundee, Hogan - a former rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge - divorced his wife of 30 years, Noelene, and married his co-star, Linda Kozlowski.
He also had a face-lift and spent long periods in Los Angeles.
According to the Herald, Hogan and Mr Cornell, who produced his films, have recently been selling land in Byron Bay, an area of northern New South Wales that has benefited from a tourism boom and an influx of Sydneysiders.
Hogan sources have stated in the past that any failure to pay tax was a result of ignorance rather than dishonesty.
Three Australian company directors, also clients of Mr Egglishaw, were charged last week as a result of the same investigation, which has targeted celebrities and high-profile businessmen.
- INDEPENDENT
