In ads in a recent Sunday’s Tribune, Andersen’s Chicago employees and partners asked why “would the Department of Justice charge almost 28,000 Andersen partners and employees with a crime?”
The obvious answer is because Andersen broke the consent agreement it signed less than a year ago after defrauding stockholders of an audit client for the third time–American Baptist, Sunbeam and Waste Management came before that–in less than three years.
In the case of Enron, Andersen demonstrated it was unable to abide by audit guidelines, to adequately investigate questionable partnerships or obey the law. Instead, Andersen employees deliberately attempted to destroy the evidence via the shredder. In addition, evidence exists that the Chicago office essentially issued the orders to commence the shredding.
Andersen has repeatedly cheated the American public of any confidence in the audit process.
