Deloitte, EY, and PwC Fined $8.5 Million for Dutch Exam Cheating

The US audit watchdog Wednesday fined the Dutch arms of three of the largest global accounting firms more than $8 million collectively for sustained cheating in internal exams.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board said that it had fined the Netherlands arms of Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and PwC a total of $8.5 million because hundreds of staff—including partners—cheated on internal exams over a five-year period from 2018 to 2022. PCAOB has imposed a series of heavy fines on Big Four accounting firms globally to clamp down on rampant exam cheating, most notably a $25 million penalty for KPMG ...