Several senior partners from KPMG’s Dublin office are understood to have moved to Belfast to manage the office and to reassure staff there.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs Office last night declined to provide any further comment about the status of the four senior KPMG partners it arrested on Wednesday.

Jon D'Arcy, the chairman of the Belfast office, Eamonn Donaghy who is in charge of tax practice - Paul Hollway, head of corporate finance at KPMG in Ireland - and Arthur O'Brien, who provides audit and advisory services were detained by the authorities in Northern Ireland.

Newstalk understands that they were arrested at the Belfast office and that armed officials were present - and authorities also called to the men's homes.

These men set up their own investment company called JEAP in 2005. It was primarily involved in the property market and registered losses of £2.8m between 2008 and 2010. Its most recent accounts for 2014 revealed accumulated losses of £4.3m.

KPMG has placed the four men on administrative leave - the company said that it has not received "any indication that this investigation relates to the business of KPMG or the business of our clients."

The firm is believed to be co-operating with the investigation.