Accountant prosecuted over data protection

A Whitechapel-based accountant has been prosecuted and fined for breaching the Data Protection Act.

Aziz Arian of Arian & Co Accountants must pay over £900 in fines and costs for failing to notify the Information Commissioners' Office that the firm processed individuals' personal information.

It is the third prosecution of an accountancy firm this year.

'Notifying as a data controller under the Data Protection Act is an important obligation for all organisations which process personal information,' said Mick Gorrill, assistant commissioner at the ICO.

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:

Thousands of firms risk prosecution under data law

ICO prosecutes Bolton firm