Accountancy

KPMG fined record $25m in exam-cheating scandal

The fine on the auditing firm’s Netherlands unit is the largest ever from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board

'I deeply regret that this misconduct happened in our firm,' said chief executive of KPMG Netherlands Stephanie Hottenhuis
'I deeply regret that this misconduct happened in our firm,' said chief executive of KPMG Netherlands Stephanie Hottenhuis Photo: Lorenz Huter/Getty Images

KPMG’s Netherlands unit agreed to pay a $25m fine over claims of exam cheating and misinforming investigators, the largest monetary penalty imposed on an auditing firm by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

The US audit regulator on 10 April said the KPMG member firm, KPMG Accountants, violated its quality control rules relating to the firm’s internal training program and monitoring of its system of quality control.

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