Grant Thornton sued whopping £200m for Patisserie Valerie accounting failures January 8, 2021 Grant Thornton is being sued for £200m by the liquidators of Patisserie Valerie after the cake shop chain collapsed following suspected fraud. Liquidators FRP Advisory said Grant Thornton was negligent in the preparation and conduct of 2014 to 2017 financial statements. As a result the liquidator is suing the mid-tier audit firm for damages of [...]
Top finance bosses expect home working and taxes to increase following Covid-19 January 8, 2021 Top chief financial officers expect flexible and home working to increase post-pandemic – with a five-fold increase in home working expected by 2025, according to a survey by Deloitte. More than three-quarters (78%) of top CFOs expected Covid-19 restrictions on movement and activity to continue through the first half of 2021, but more than half [...]
HMRC issues record £28.3m fine for money laundering breaches January 7, 2021 HMRC has issued a record £28.3m fine to Luton-based business MT Global, a money transfer company. The fine is the largest ever issued by HMRC and relates to “significant” breaches of money laundering regulations between 2017 and 2019. The company was penalised for failures in carrying out risk assessments, its policies, controls and procedures, due [...]
Private equity bidders eye KPMG’s restructuring arm January 6, 2021 Private equity firms are eyeing up KPMG’s restructuring arm, as the Big Four firm prepares to offload its restructuring operations in the UK. Intermediate Capital Group and Towerbrook Capital Partners are preparing to submit initial bids for the business ahead of a deadline later this month, Sky News reported. The division is rumoured to be [...]
BDO eases promotion pause and makes 20 new partners January 6, 2021 Some 20 employees at BDO have finally been promoted to partner at the firm, having had their promotions delayed for six months because of Covid-19. The new partners work across the audit firm’s tax, audit and advisory teams and their promotions are effective from 1 January. A total 470 staff that were due promotions in [...]
FRC: Deloitte allowed Autonomy to ‘present misleading financial position’ January 6, 2021 Deloitte’s audit of scandal-hit UK software firm Autonomy allowed the company to “present a misleading picture of its financial position”, the City watchdog said this morning. The Financial Reporting Council investigated the actions of Deloitte and former partners Richard Knights and Nigel Mercer in relation to their audits of the disgraced tech company’s accounts. Autonomy [...]
Individuals rush to sell assets as capital gains tax bill rockets to £10.1bn December 23, 2020 The UK’s capital gains tax (CGT) bill has hit £10.1bn, up more than fourfold from £2.5bn a decade earlier, prompting people to sell their assets. Despite the increase of nearly £7.5bn in a decade, more CGT could be demanded from the taxpayer. The Office for Tax Simplification recently recommended the Chancellor increase CGT rates in [...]
Making it in the City as a woman in 2020: a rising private equity star explains December 22, 2020 City A.M.‘s Michiel Willems sat down with Sunaina Sinha Haldea, founder and CEO of Cebile Capital, a London-based placement agent and secondaries advisor in private equity and infrastructure. The Harvard graduate is also an angel investor and serves as chair of the board of Barrecore, one of Europe’s largest luxury fitness boutiques, while she is [...]
Clifford Chance launches Brexit ‘hotline’ for confused clients December 18, 2020 Clifford Chance has launched a Brexit ‘hotline’ to help clients with last minute Brexit preparations in the face of continued uncertainty. The hotline will operate from today until 4 January, and will help to answer client’s Brexit questions on the likes of contracts, supply chains, treasury, passporting, HR and international property. With less than two [...]
Law firm CRS ‘threatening staff with pay cuts to return to the office’ December 18, 2020 International law firm Charles Russell Speechlys (CRS) has been accused of threatening staff with pay cuts if they do not return to the office, despite official government guidance urging those who can to work from home. Staff were allegedly told coronavirus fears are not a reason to work from home, and if they wanted to [...]