A secret investigation carried out by Kroll, the risk consulting agency, into the Tanzi family, founders of Parmalat, the collapsed Italian dairy group, has uncovered €8.9m ($11.6m) of assets.

Enrico Bondi, the turnround expert and special administrator to Parmalat, ordered the investigation to run in parallel to the official inquiries carried out by magistrates from Parma and Milan in the spring.