Fourth accountancy firm prosecuted by ICO
A Harrow accountant has been taken to court by the Information Commissioner for failure to register
The Information Commissioners Officer (ICO) has prosecuted a Middlesex
accountant for offences under the data protection act. The latest filing brings
the total of accountancy firms taken to court by the ICO this year to four.
The Information Commissioner has prosecuted Mr Satish Lakhani of Lake &
Co Accountants based in Harrow for failing to notify, a form of registration,
with the ICO. All organisations that process individuals’ person information
must notify with the Commissioner.
Despite repeated reminders Mr Lakhani failed to register with the
Commissioner for a nominal annual fee of £35.
Mick Gorrill, assistant commissioner at the ICO, said: ‘The Data Protection
Act gives us all important rights, ensuring that organisations process and
protect our personal information properly. Notifying as a data controller under
the Data Protection Act is an important obligation for any organisation which
processes personal information.’
‘Today’s case is the fourth accountancy firm that we have prosecuted this
year alone’ he added.
Mr Lakhani was fined £300 and ordered to pay costs of £483.40 plus a victim
surcharge of £15 at Harrow Magistrates Court.
Accountancy Age revealed in 2005 that the ICO was targeting a potential
10,000 accounting firms that had not registered with the Information
Commissioner’s Office.
Further reading:
Accountant
prosecuted over data protection