Robert Tchenguiz drops multi-million pound legal action against Grant Thornton October 15, 2018 Property mogul Robert Tchenguiz today dropped his multi-million pound claim against Grant Thornton in a move described by the accountancy firm as "total capitulation". The flamboyant millionaire was due to give evidence at court today in a trial in which he accused the accountancy firm, two of its partners and former Kaupthing lawyer Johannes Runar [...]
Sacha Romanovitch to stand down as Grant Thornton chief executive October 15, 2018 Professional services firm Grant Thornton has announced its chief executive, Sacha Romanovitch, will step down at the end of the year. The firm said following discussion with its board, Romanovitch had “decided not to stand for re-election for a second term and is to step down following the identification of a successor”. A successor will be [...]
Outrage-induced regulation will not fix the broken audit market October 12, 2018 The audit market is broken. Don’t take my word for it – ask Rachel Reeves, the Labour MP who chairs the BEIS select committee, or Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable, or even the Conservative business secretary Greg Clark, who last month ordered an inquiry into competition in the sector. With such cross-party concerns, it should not [...]
Disclosure failings the ‘biggest single cause of miscarriages of justice’, says outgoing watchdog head October 11, 2018 The outgoing head of the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice has said disclosure failings remain the "biggest single cause of miscarriages of justice" and called for a "targeted review" into existing convictions. In a farewell speech delivered last night, Richard Foster of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) said that "too often" there [...]
Today’s wealth management industry is as deceitful as the tobacco companies of the past October 11, 2018 When medical suspicions of health impacts of cigarettes were first raised, the tobacco industry obfuscated and suppressed their own knowledge of smoking risks. In many ways, this mirrors what is happening in the wealth management industry today, as many companies suppress information about their fee structures, and often fail to warn consumers of the long-term damage these hidden fees [...]
With the CMA scrutinising the Big Four, can we still trust auditors? October 11, 2018 With the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) scrutinising the Big Four, can we still trust auditors? Yes – Michael Izza is chief executive of the ICAEW. Every year, hundreds of thousands of audits are performed to the highest professional and ethical standards. Auditors underpin business confidence by providing independent verification that a company’s financial statements [...]
Litigation funder Vannin Capital pulls London float blaming market conditions October 10, 2018 Litigation funder Vannin Capital has cancelled its London initial public offering (IPO) blaming market volatility. Vannin, which finances litigation for businesses and law firms in exchange for a slice of any settlement, announced its intention to float last month. Market sources said the projected float could have valued the business at up to £1bn. Read [...]
Supreme Court backs Northern Irish bakery in gay cake fight October 10, 2018 The UK Supreme Court ruled today that a Northern Irish bakery that refused to decorate a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan acted lawfully. In 2014 the Ashers bakery refused to fulfil an order from the customer Gareth Lee who had asked for a cake to be decorated with the Sesame Street characters Bert and [...]
US professional services firm backs ‘engine for growth’ London as European launchpad October 9, 2018 EisnerAmper, a top-twenty US professional services firm, celebrated the launch of its London office tonight as it laid out “ambitious plans” for European growth. Its London offices, which will act a staging post for the firm’s continental expansion plans, will be led by Robert Mirsky, a former global head of hedge funds at Big Four [...]
Competition watchdog launches review of audit sector October 9, 2018 The competition watchdog today confirmed it has launched a probe into the UK's audit sector, ending weeks of speculation. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will review whether the sector is competitive and resilient enough to maintain high standards. Calls to review the sector and possibly break up the "Big Four" of PwC, KPMG, Deloitte and EY [...]