Deloitte claims JDS complaints are 'unmerited'
Big Four firm, Deloitte, has vowed to 'robustly' defend complaints handed down by the Accountant's Joint Disciplinary Scheme this morning.
Big Four firm, Deloitte, has vowed to 'robustly' defend complaints handed down by the Accountant's Joint Disciplinary Scheme this morning.
Link: JDS trebles fines in one year
The complaints were in relation to the audit of engineering firm Semple Cochrane, now Semple, by accountancy firm Rutherford Manson Dowds (RMD) in the mid to late-nineties. RMD merged with Deloitte on 1 July 1999.
Three chartered accountants: David John Crawford, Marshall William Miller and John Ian Durie are subject to complaints along with the Big Four firm. Crawford and Miller remain partners at Deloitte.
‘We have been and will continue cooperating fully with the JDS in its investigation of the work carried out by RMD between 1996 and 1999…’ Deloitte said in a statement. ‘We believe the disciplinary action is unmerited and will be defending the complaints robustly.’
Chris Dickson, executive counsel of the Accountant’s Joint Disciplinary Scheme, handed down five complaints this morning.
The first was against Crawford, audit partner in RMD, for the audit of Semple Cochrane for the year ended 30 June 1996. The second, again against RMD, concerned partner Durie, was for the flotation of the company in 1996.
A third and fourth complaint was issued to Crawford, for his audits of 1997 and 1998 financial years, with a fifth complaint going against Deloitte, Crawford, and Deloitte partner, Miller for the 1999 audit.
The JDS is still investigating Semple Cochrane’s finance director at the time, Wilson Evans, with a decision on whether or not to lay complaints expected by the end of the summer.