KPMG Australia's chairman and two partners resign as audit scandal widens - Reuters
- Firm announces governance overhaul in wake of scandal
- The two senior partners were implicated in alleged audit misconduct
- Departures follow exit of CEO and audit chief
SYDNEY, June 23 (Reuters) - KPMG Australia said on Tuesday its chairman and two senior partners will leave the firm as it moves to contain a growing scandal over whistleblower allegations that staff misused confidential client information to win audit work.
The departures of Chairman Martin Sheppard, and audit partners Paul Rogers and Eileen Hoggett, mark the latest fallout from the controversy that has engulfed the firm and has already claimed its CEO and audit chief.
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"The decisions announced today are necessary and immediate," interim CEO Stan Stavros said in a statement.
"We did not meet the standards expected of us, and we recognise the impact this has had on the whistleblower, our people, our clients and the community."
KPMG has been under fire after the whistleblower alleged it misused confidential board papers from real estate company Lendlease (LLC.AX) to support bids for major audit tenders.
KPMG has admitted it has mishandled the complaint and has launched a fourth investigation after the previous ones failed to substantiate any wrongdoing.
Rogers and Hoggett were directly named by the whistleblower as the lead partners on the Lendlease auditing team involved in the misconduct, according to the...
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