Andersen UK distances itself from shredding charges

Andersen UK distances itself from shredding charges

Crisis-stricken Andersen has released a statement this morning claiming there is no evidence of any Enron documents related to the UK firm being 'deliberately destroyed' in London.

The statement follows the revelation that three Andersen employees from the Houston office – a partner and two support staff – shredded documents relating to the US firm in its London office while they were on secondment in the UK.

For the firm to avoid any disciplinary action in the UK, it will be crucial for the office to demonstrate that no UK-qualified staff took part in the shredding. No evidence has emerged that this was the case, and the UK firm has moved quickly to distance itself from the US-based revelations.

The statement from the UK firm, read: ‘No Enron-related documents connected with the work of the UK firm were disposed of inappropriately.

‘In the light of the disclosures in the USA earlier this year, we commissioned an investigation into whether the document destruction alleged to have occurred in Houston extended to papers supporting the work of the UK firm in London.’

It added: ‘In the course of the UK investigation, Andersen legal counsel Herbert Smith considered the implications of the alleged instruction given by the US. They concluded that, based on their enquiries, ‘there [was] no evidence that any material Enron related documents connected to the work of the UK firm was deliberately destroyed’.

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata
Professional Services

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
Accounting Firms

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021
Making Tax Digital

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource