The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets announced that the Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal has dismissed in full an external auditor's appeal against a 2022 disciplinary ruling. The decision leaves intact the finding that two audit opinions issued by the auditor could not be relied on and confirms a temporary removal from the registers for three months. The AFM's 2020 disciplinary complaint related to two statutory audits in which the auditor did not perform enough work to obtain sufficient and appropriate audit evidence and did not act with the required professional scepticism. He also substantively altered one audit file without complying with the applicable rules. The Accountants Chamber had already largely upheld the complaint in 2022. The tribunal found that judgment stands on all points and that the nature and seriousness of the misconduct make the three month sanction appropriate.
Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets2026-05-27
Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets wins external auditor appeal as three month register removal is upheld
The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets reported that the Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal has fully dismissed an external auditor’s appeal against a 2022 disciplinary ruling, confirming that two of his audit opinions were unreliable and upholding his three-month removal from the registers. The tribunal agreed that the auditor failed to obtain sufficient and appropriate audit evidence, did not exercise adequate professional scepticism and improperly altered an audit file, and found the sanction proportionate to the misconduct.