The Italian tax authorities are at it again, this time going after Valentino Garavani and business partner Giancarlo Giammetti with a $39 million fine for alleged tax evasion.

The charge is that the pair avoided declaring their revenues in Italy by moving their residence outside the country, while keeping their businesses there.

An official statement from Valentino managing director Ronald Feijen stated Garavani and Giammetti “moved their residence and all their interests to London more than 10 years ago, since the sale of their Maison … their positions had in the past already been verified and deemed entirely legitimate and regular.”

It was only late last year when Roberto Cavalli was cleared of a tax evasion indictment, after having been accused in 2002 of booking costs to restructure his villa as company expenses.