Since the last update, three Tribunal Committee tribunal orders and five consent orders from the Conduct Committee have been published.
Included within the latest published orders are the following:
Tribunal Committee tribunal orders
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Plagiarism in professional exams:
A provisional member was found to have submitted a mock exam for assessment that plagiarised the work of a colleague, contrary to the ICAEW Code of Ethics – Integrity. The provisional member received a severe reprimand. -
Dishonesty regarding exam results and employment history:
A provisional member was found to have falsely claimed to have passed ICAEW Certificate Level Accounting exams in communications with a manager, falsified exam reports to show that they had passed the Assurance exam and the Accounting exam, and provided false information during a job interview about the reason for dismissal from a previous employer.The provisional member had their status as a provisional membership withdrawn and is ineligible to re-register for a specified period.
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Professional behaviour and professional competence and due care in accounts preparation:
A member was found to have failed to provide complete responses to HMRC enquiries and also prepared financial statements for two entities that did not comply with relevant accounting standards, including incorrect treatment of goodwill and related party transactions.The member received a severe reprimand.
Conduct Committee consent orders
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Failure to ensure AML supervision and notification:
A member, as principal of a firm, failed to ensure the firm was supervised by an appropriate anti-money laundering authority for a period of six years and did not notify ICAEW of the firm’s formation within the required timeframe. The member was reprimanded. -
Preparation of accounts and failure to have a practising certificate and PII:
A member failed to act with professional competence and due care in preparing a set of accounts, and engaged in public practice without a practising certificate and professional indemnity insurance for a period of nine years. The member was severely reprimanded. -
Breach of audit and independent examination thresholds:
A member signed Chartered Accountant’s Reports on financial statements for multiple entities and periods when exemption thresholds for audit or independent examination were breached. The member was severely reprimanded. -
Audit failures by a firm:
- A firm issued unmodified audit opinions on financial statements for three years without obtaining sufficient appropriate audit evidence in some account areas, in breach of International Standard on Auditing 500 (UK and Ireland). The firm was severely reprimanded.
- A firm issued audit reports on financial statements for multiple entities and years, failing to obtain sufficient audit evidence in a number of account areas, in breach of International Standard on Auditing 500 (UK and Ireland) and International Standard on Auditing 570 (UK and Ireland). The firm was severely reprimanded.
Key themes
- Falsification of exam results and misleading employers
- Failures in technical standards, particularly in audit evidence, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance
- Non-compliance with AML supervision and failure to notify the regulator of firm formation or changes
- Plagiarism and misconduct in professional exams
Further details can be found on our Disciplinary Database or please visit our Public Hearings page.
Useful links
Please make use of the following resources to ensure you are up to date with the latest regulatory information and news.
- ICAEW Ethics hub
- ICAEW’s Regulation hub
- Disciplinary Bye-laws
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