The role of EY is also in focus in the Wirecard scandal.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin, Düsseldorf The publication of the Wambach report by the Handelsblatt continues to make waves. Wikimedia Germany is sharply critical of the auditing company EY. In a statement, the association, a German branch of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, is “irritated” by the company’s decision to file a criminal complaint.
The author of the Wambach report is Martin Wambach, the director of the Institute of Auditors. In March, the Wirecard investigative committee commissioned him to investigate EY’s role in the accounting scandal. EY had audited the balance sheets for almost ten years – until Wirecard collapsed in June 2020.
Wambach gave EY a disastrous testimony. The auditors overlooked numerous warning signals or did not follow up on abnormalities, according to his report.
EY denies this and asserts that the auditors took all the indications and allegations seriously at all times. The team worked “to the best of their knowledge and belief”.
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Nevertheless, EY advised the Bundestag’s secret service to classify the report as secret. The reason: business secrets are affected. The company was successful. Since Wambach presented his report to the investigative committee in April, the secret service has kept it under lock and key.
More on the Wirecard scandal and the role of EY:
The Handelsblatt published the complete 168-page document on its website on November 11th. Shortly afterwards, EY filed a criminal complaint with the Munich public prosecutor’s office. A company spokesman said the complaint was against the report being shared and published.
Wikimedia has now announced that the report was only made available to the public after the Handelsblatt was published. The Wirecard case ultimately caused billions in losses that burden the economy and affect many citizens directly.
The clarification of the scandal makes it clear why “publicly commissioned reports should also be made publicly accessible” – by the public sector itself, “not only through whistleblowing and press reports”. This also and especially applies to expert reports such as the Wambach report.
“The report was commissioned by the Bundestag to clarify the matter in the public interest,” said Christian Humborg, managing director of Wikimedia Germany. Therefore, in this particular case, the principle of “public money – public good” must apply.
While Wikimedia demands that state-commissioned reports “are published by default”, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) has cleared the way for investigations against the members of the investigative committee.
A spokesman for the Bundestag confirmed to the Handelsblatt that host Bas had given the Bundestag “the authorization required by law to prosecute” – even before the public prosecutor’s office formally asked her to do so.
More: “It’s crazy …”: The last 48 hours from Wirecard