Sumer Group’s HW Fisher sanctioned over GFG Alliance audit lapses

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has imposed a £200,000 fine on Sumer Group's HW Fisher and its lead auditor, Simon Mott-Cowan, for significant professional misconduct during an audit of Liberty Commodities, a subsidiary of metals magnate Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance. The regulator found the auditors to have demonstrated a severe lack of "professional scepticism" during the audit for the fiscal year concluding March 31, 2020.

The misconduct was particularly evident in seven critical areas of the audit, including revenue recognition, debt recoverability, and going concern assessments. The FRC also noted that HW Fisher failed to grasp the intricacies of Liberty Commodities' business model, which heavily relied on back-to-back sales facilitated by financial institutions, including Greensill Capital UK and Wyelands Bank, both associated with GFG Alliance.

Greensill Capital, which was once a key player in the GFG Alliance, collapsed in 2021, leading to a major financial and political scandal. The UK Insolvency Service banned Greensill's founder, Lex Greensill, from serving as a company director for nine years. FRC acting deputy executive counsel, Andrew Twomey, emphasized the importance of auditors understanding the entity and its environment, as failures in this aspect can undermine the overall effectiveness of the audit.

The FRC initiated its investigation into HW Fisher in February 2022, and the regulator imposed the fine, subsequently reducing it to £140,000 upon admission. Mott-Cowan received a reduced fine of £17,500, also formally declared as non-compliance. HW Fisher, which merged with Sumer Group in October 2024 while maintaining its independent brand, was reached for comment.