Backlog holds up CIMA public hearings
CIMA has put off opening its disciplinary hearings to the public until the autumn after a backlog of cases and legal technicalities held up proceedings.
Mandie Lavin, director of professional standards at CIMA, confirmed the hearings were delayed for legal reasons, as UK law does not allow people to be investigated under new guidelines without their knowing about them before the investigation.
She said: ‘From the first moment people receive notice [that they are going to be put before a disciplinary committee], we highlight that there is the possibility of a public hearing.’
Lavin also said there was a backlog of cases due to a lost meeting at the end of October and the institute’s introduction of lay people to its disciplinary committee. ‘It is very important that the lay members are trained so they can do the job properly,’ she said.
Lavin assured AccountancyAge.com the institute was very keen to have open hearings because it would give the public a chance to see self-regulation at work and ‘CIMA members and students can see the cases so they can learn lessons.’
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CIMA to open disciplinaries in July