Disciplinary: Accountant excluded after claiming false rail fares
The ICAEW has excluded an accountant who dishonestly claimed £164,368.80 in rail fares when she had received refunds.
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A sad case as Chris Cope mentions. But the correlation that Mrs X CLEARLY had problems - disclosed , and not disclosed - within the report is not justified.
This cunning fraudster lied over and over again in a four year period , amassing some tax free £165K until the fraud was found out. The 'disclosed' defence is laughable.
She's lost her job and her qualification and the personal problems, which the committee know about but we don't, will no doubt continue. Would you have her put in the stocks as well?
We weren't told what the court's punishment was, but I can guarantee it didn't include a residency in the stocks.Unless it was a suspended sentence.
The article fails to mention several critical points you will pick up if you read the case:
1. Mrs X is repaying the stolen money over 7 years to the ex-employer
2. It would appear some minor costs of £4k have been awarded against her, but no fine. Even this seems a lot as she self-reported her crime and all the evidence was already supplied by her ex-employer so not sure what exactly the ICAEW did for 3 years. ie Hands were held up and wrong was admitted, the only question really was the punishment, and I cant see that anything other than expulsion here would be correct.
if you read the other cases, all of them are ancient. Its not clear why the ICAEW take so long over disciplinary matters.
The longer it takes the more they get paid in fees and expenses. I mean, accountants never try to pad out jobs when the job is paid by the hour do they....
Compare & contrast how the SRA deals ruthlessly with relatively minor offences regardless of mental health issues:
https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/exclusive-struck-off-junior-files-appe...