KPMG’s Gupta auditor: dishonest or negligent?
A former KPMG partner who worked on Gupta accounts is under a cloud, but he maintains he was merely ‘negligent’
The lead KPMG audit partner on the Gupta accounts, Jacques Wessels, has been accused of helping the family dodge their tax obligations but he is pleading "negligence", which he says does not amount to dishonesty. Wessels’ conduct is being probed by the disciplinary committee of the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (Irba) on six charges of misconduct. The charge sheet against him paints a picture of complicity in fraud. Closing arguments were presented last week and a verdict is expected within 30 days. Wessels was the lead partner for various Gupta entities, including Linkway Trading, which was allegedly used to divert R30m of taxpayers’ money to fund the Guptas’ 2013 Sun City wedding. KPMG was embroiled in allegations of state capture as a result of the Gupta e-mail leaks, and several senior KPMG executives resigned. Wessels himself quit KPMG in September last year after the firm decided to take disciplinary action against him. He is alleged to have ensured that Linkway do...
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