Accountant in court over alleged false company filings

24th March 2022

An accountant has appeared in court charged with filing false returns for several companies following an investigation by the corporate watchdog.

Robert Browne, formerly of KBG Accountants in Cavan, appeared at Dublin District Court on 14 charges under the Companies Act.

It is alleged he filed reports in relation to five businesses with the Companies Registration Office and that these bore an auditor registration number when they had not in fact been audited.

The offences are alleged to have occurred on various dates in 2018 and 2019.

The charges follow an investigation by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE), which received a complaint from the accountancy firm.

Detective Garda Keith Gorman, an officer of the ODCE, informed the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed the accused be sent forward to the Dublin Circuit Court for a trial on indictment.

Mr Browne (52), of Treanlawn, Killoe, Co. Longford, was remanded on continuing bail to a date in June for the service of a book of evidence.

The ODCE said the charges followed an investigation in relation to the unauthorised and unlawful use of an auditor registration number in the submission of annual returns.