EY auditors escape potential Wirecard sanctions after leaving career

Germany’s audit watchdog closed investigations towards 4 present and former EY auditors concerned in inspecting collapsed funds agency Wirecard after they handed again their skilled licences and left the career earlier this month.

Underneath German regulation, Apas can solely probe and sanction potential misconduct by lively accountants who’re enrolled within the nation’s register of public accountants.

Because the watchdog’s delayed ruling into EY’s controversial audit for the disgraced German funds agency approaches, 4 present and former staff this month resigned from the nation’s chamber of public accountants, the WPK.

In response to folks accustomed to the matter, the three EY audit companions who had been in control of the Wirecard audit since 2016 had been amongst those that resigned: Martin Dahmen, who remains to be employed by EY, in addition to Andreas Budde and Andreas Loetscher, who’ve each left the agency. Whereas Budde retired, Loetscher in 2018 turned Deutsche Financial institution’s head of accounting, however later left the financial institution. The fourth particular person was a much less senior auditor who labored quite a bit on the Wirecard mandate.

The 4 had been a part of a bunch of 12 present and former EY staff who had been underneath investigation by Apas since Wirecard collapsed into insolvency in June 2020. The corporate acquired a clear invoice of well being from EY for near a decade, however ultimately needed to disclose that €1.9bn in company money and half of the corporate’s reported income didn’t exist.

If the watchdog finds severe wrongdoing it will probably quickly, or completely, ban accountants and superb them as much as €500,000.

Apas instructed the Monetary Occasions that the case towards 4 people who handed again their licenses was closed. It declined to verify their identities however instructed the FT that the variety of people underneath investigation had lately dropped from 12 to eight.

The watchdog added that any sanctions levied require that people be a member of the audit career. “If the appointment as an auditor is waived for no matter motive, for authorized causes the skilled oversight ends as nicely,” Apas instructed the FT in an announcement, including that and “ongoing investigation is mechanically closed.”

In an announcement to the FT, the WPK referred to its publicly out there database of licensed accountants, including that 4 former members resigned in early 2023.

EY confirmed that “particular person auditors have determined to surrender their licenses as auditors”, declining to remark additional.

A lawyer for Dahmen instructed the FT that his shopper’s step was “a private choice” however was mentioned with EY.

“Mr Dahmen wished to attract a line underneath the matter and to look ahead,” he mentioned, including that his shopper was nonetheless sure that he performed the audits to the perfect of his data and beliefs and that the auditors had been deceived by Wirecard.

A lawyer for Budde declined to remark, and Loetscher didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.