Irba wants Guptas’ KPMG auditor permanently barred
KPMG auditor sanction will be a watershed for the regulator
The Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (Irba) wants nothing less than to see former KPMG auditor Jacques Wessels permanently barred from doing any audit work. “His conduct as an auditor ordinarily is not to be sceptical, it’s not to show independence,” said senior counsel Tim Breinders, for Irba, on Friday. Wessels was responsible for the audits of Gupta family-owned Linkway Trading. The committee found him guilty in 2018 of all six charges Irba had levelled against him. Two of these were for dishonesty, while the other four related to negligence. On the negligence counts Wessels was found guilty of contravening four fundamental auditing principles and 31 auditing standards. Breinders said given the public interest on the matter the disciplinary committee should be careful not to give a ruling that the public will perceive as a slap on the wrist. “If you determine that public interest is not cancellation of his registration, it can’t be something a lot less than that. If your...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.