Gerald James appeal dismissed
Gerald James, former chairman of Astra, one of the companies at the heart of the arms to Iraq affair, has had an appeal against a decision to exclude him from the profession dismissed by the Joint Disciplinary Scheme.
His appeal followed a judgement by the Joint Disciplinary Tribunal, the senior watchdog for chartered accountants, in December last year that concluded James raised a false invoice for almost £240,000 and used it to support false Astra accounts in March 1986.
In this week’s hearing, James, who maintains his innocence, was seeking to quash the verdict by claiming the delay in bringing the JDS case had prejudiced the outcome of the hearing.
Speculation is now growing that James, an English ICA member, will take his case to the European Court of Human Rights.
James had already been cleared by a DTI investigation and David Bean, representing James, said the tribunal should therefore not have come to an alternative decision.
A ruling on costs is still awaited.
Gerald James launches appeal against JDS decision