EY Germany likely to slash hundreds of jobs as Wirecard scandal fall out casts shadow over future profits EY EY’s German arm is planning to cut 40 partners and 380 staff as it attempts to boost profitability in the wake of the Wirecard scandal. The Big Four accounting firm’s German business is in talks to ditch hundreds of jobs after top audit clients including Commerzbank, DWS, and KfW pulled away from the firm following [...]
Former Wirecard boss files motion to suspend trial delays Lawyers have called for the criminal trial of the former Wirecard boss Markus Braun to be suspended after prosecutors were accused of ignoring evidence. Braun’s lead lawyer Alfred Dierlamm dismissed allegations of wrongdoing, deeming claims against his client as “absurd,” calling for prosecutors to re-examine key parts of the case. Braun and two other Wirecard managers [...]
Germany to launch new enforcement agency to strengthen fight against white-collar crime White-collar crime Germany has set out plans to start a new country-wide financial crime authority with a view to strengthening the country’s responses to sanctions breaches and white-collar crime. The plans will see Germany’s finance ministry combine the country’s more than 300 financial crime agencies into a new federal authority, in line with plans to “curb financial [...]
Wirecard forged client list to secure £760m investment from SoftBank July 11, 2022 German payments processer Wirecard forged client data in its efforts to secure €900m (£760m) in investment from Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, as it sought to reassure investors about the fundamentals of its business before it collapsed the following year. The Bavarian fintech firm showed SoftBank’s representatives a fabricated list of clients on a computer in Wirecard’s [...]
UK’s cost of living crisis has created ‘perfect conditions for fraud to flourish,’ new report says July 6, 2022 The UK’s cost of living crisis is creating the “ideal environment for fraudulent activity,” a new report from the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (CIIA) has warned. Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, and the UK’s cost-of-living crunch are creating the “perfect conditions for fraud to flourish,” the report says, as it calls on businesses to [...]
Wirecard’s finance chief admits forging documents after facing pressure from KPMG July 4, 2022 Wirecard’s former head of accounting has admitted forging documents, after coming under pressure to provide evidence of transactions during a special audit by KPMG. Wirecard’s ex-chief financial officer, Stephan von Erffa, told prosecutors he falsified the documents, after coming under pressure from the auditor to provide evidence of a €50m payment, according to sources speaking [...]
EY Germany vows to improve working conditions in wake of Wirecard scandal April 28, 2022 EY Germany has vowed to cut staff workloads and improve company working conditions, in response to its role in the multi-billion-euro Wirecard scandal. The German arm of the Big Four accountancy firm said it plans to reduce workplace stress and the overburdening of its workers, by limiting overtime and hiring more people. The pledge comes [...]
Private detective admits hacking Wirecard’s critics April 22, 2022 An Israeli private detective has admitted coordinating efforts to hack journalists on behalf of disgraced payment processor Wirecard. Aviram Azari pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit hacking, and aggravated identity theft, for his role in acting as a middleman in the hacker-for-hire scheme. The charges relate to Azari’s role in working [...]
German law firm launches class action lawsuit against EY over Wirecard scandal March 16, 2022 A German law firm has opened a class action lawsuit against Big Four accountancy firm EY over the auditor’s role in the multi-billion-euro Wirecard scandal. German law firm TILP said it had filed a lawsuit in a Munich court on behalf of Wirecard shareholders, over claims that EY breached its duty to investors by “aiding [...]
British businessman arrested on Wirecard-linked fraud charges September 2, 2021 A British businessman has been arrested and charged in Singapore with fraud for allegedly instructing a company, with ties to the collapsed Germans payments company Wirecard, to forge a letter according to widespread reports. James Henry O’Sullivan has been accused of ordering accounting firm Citadelle Corporate Services to fabricate a document, according to the Financial [...]