DTI told of WorldCom problems in 1999
A British woman who worked for WorldCom in the UK claims she approached the Department of Trade & Industry about accounting concerns at the indebted global telecom as far back as 1999.
Geraldine Kelly, who was employed by WorldCom as an information service cost management analyst in mid-1998, according to The Guardian, took her concerns to the DTI after allegedly discovering ‘unorthodox techniques’ to account for charges involving long-distance phone calls.
A spokesperson for the DTI told AccountancyAge.com it did not comment on company investigations, but said that all complaints it received were ‘thoroughly investigated’.
WorldCom is currently being investigated by the chief financial watchdog the US Securities & Exchange Commission over allegations of a $3.8bn (£2.4bn) accounting fraud.
Sullivan and WorldCom founder Bernie Ebbers were both subpoenaed to appear before a Congressional hearing earlier this month, but declined to answer questions by invoking their fifth amendment rights.