The Following information has been extracted from Reuters Business Briefing
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 1998 (Bernama) - An accountant here is suing the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in England for RM200 million in damages alleging that it had plagiarised examination questions from a Malaysian accounting body.
Datuk Dr Lau Ban Tin, who said he is still an ACCA student, claimed in his suit that six out of eight examination questions in the ACCA June 1997 examinations relating to Malaysian Variant Paper No. 7 for Taxation were copied from the Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA).
Lau, 41, who is a director of more than a dozen companies, said that as a result of the alleged practice, he had suffered great mental distress, depression, ridicule, loss of faith and confidence in ACCA's abilities to conduct future examinations fairly and of the highest standard as claimed by the accounting body.
He made available to Bernama today a copy of his writ of summons which
was extracted
from the Shah Alam High Court on May 5 this year.
The writ and statement of claim were served on May 26 to ACCA through its solicitors, Allen and Gledhill, which entered a memorandum of appearance at the Shah Alam court two days later.
In his statement of claim, Lau said that in August 1997, he discovered the alleged plagiarism, and the ACCA had admitted in a letter to the MACPA that it had copied substantially past examination questions set by MACPA.
On March 11 this year, Lau through his solicitors, K.C.Yap and Partners, demanded for an apology and a written undertaking from ACCA that it would not repeat such action and to compensate him for mental suffering.
The ACCA failed to respond positively to the demand, he said.
Lau also said that by copying examination papers and admitting to it, the ACCA had breached a fundamental term that being a world renowned accounting body, it would act professionally and ethically.
Lau said he became an ACCA student in 1976 after he was introduced to
it by lecturers
from Stamford College in Petaling Jaya.
He is also a council member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants
(MIA) and a
property developer.
There some 12,000 ACCA students in Malaysia.
Copyright(C) 1998 BERNAMA The Malaysian National News Agency.
(c) 1998 Chamber World Network International Ltd.
ASIA INTELLIGENCE WIRE
BERNAMA 09/06198
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IN AN UNDATED (NOT VERY PROFESSIONAL IS IT?) PRESS RELEASE
ISSUED IN MALAYSIA, THE ACCA SAID THE FOLLOWING
" ACCA vigorously defends damages claim
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA has said that it will vigorously defend a claim for damages by one of its students Dato Lau Ban Tin filed in Shah Alam Court. Anthea Rose, ACCA Chief Executive said, The claim is baseless and without any merit whatsoever and we shall accordingly take steps vigorously to defend the claim and pursue such counter action as may be necessary".
Since the matter is before the Court, it is not appropriate for ACCA to comment on the allegations by Dato Lau as published in the media. ACCA has acted professionally at all times and in the best interest of the profession, the public, its members and students"
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Anthea Rose, Chief Executive
+44 171 396 5778
Bob Reynolds, Head of Communications +44 171
396 5751
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