- Chief Compliance Officer and VP of Legal Affairs, Arrow Electronics
By 
Adrianne Appel2023-09-29T21:45:00
Accounting firm Prager Metis violated auditor independence rules hundreds of times during a period of nearly three years, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged.
The agency filed its lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The complaint seeks a permanent injunction, disgorgement, and a penalty against Prager.
Between December 2017 and October 2020, Prager included indemnification provisions in its engagement letters for more than 200 audits, reviews, and exams, which meant the firm was not independent from its clients as required by the SEC, the agency said in its complaint.
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Audit firms should carefully weigh the pros and cons of indemnity clauses in light of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent complaint against Prager Metis, according to a legal expert.
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