North London-based accountant David Darko, of Darko Consulting, was fined £300 and ordered to pay costs of £539.20, plus a victims' surcharge of £15 by magistrates for breaking the terms of the Data Protection Act 2002.
The accountant's crime was failing to register with the Information Commissioner's Office as a "data controller". The DPA stipulates that company that “controls” personal information about individuals must register with the ICO, for a basic charge of £35. In Darko's case, he failed to do so in spite of repeated reminders, the ICO said.
According to ICO chief operating officer Simon Entwisle, Darko's case was part of an ongoing campaign to ensure all accountants that process personal information notify with the commissioner.
"Mr Darko was fined more than eight times the usual cost of notifying, as well as legal costs - this prosecution should serve as a reminder to all other accountants of their obligations under the Act," said Entwisle.
Earlier in April, Bolton-based accountant Azhar Saleem was ordered to pay £743.50 fines and costs for failing to register with the ICO. An Edgware solicitor was also prosecuted last week and fined a total of £704.20.
Sage whitepaper on managing data protection
Earlier this year, Sage published a white paper on information security, which covers all the relevant legislation and practical issues surrounding data protection. Free copies can be requested via this AccountingWEB.co.uk
information page.