Arthur Andersen

Goldman Sachs settles Stirling Cooke litigation for $450,000

April 16, 2009

Funds controlled by Goldman Sachs have paid $450,000 to settle litigation brought by the Bankruptcy Trustee of Bermuda domiciled ex insurance broker AlphaStar Insurance Group, formerly known as Stirling Cooke Brown Holdings, which collapsed in 2003 after committing a fraud

Insider Talking: February 13, 2009

February 13, 2009

On January 12, 2009, Bermuda and the USA signed a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, pursuant to which each country can formally apply to the other to obtain information for criminal investigations. The Bermuda Government lauded the agreement as "yet another

Goldman Sachs & Stirling Cooke’s D&O win legal victory regarding alleged fraud cover-up

March 10, 2008

An action in New York to hold Goldman Sachs and several former officers and directors of Bermuda-based Stirling Cooke Brown Holdings Ltd. liable for allegedly "squandering" $80 million of the fraudulently-operated insurance broker's corporate assets has failed. On February 19, 2008, Chief U. S. Bankruptcy Judge Stuart M. Bernstein dismissed all of the core counts alleging fraud and breach of fiduciary duty against the Goldman Sachs and the D&O defendants in a complaint brought by the group's Bankruptcy Trustee, Richard O'Connell, at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Arthur Andersen agrees to pay $1.2 m to settle Stirling Cooke litigation

March 9, 2007

Arthur Andersen has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle litigation regarding its audits of now-defunct Bermuda-based broker AlphaStar Insurance Group Limited, formerly Stirling Cooke Brown Holdings. A motion to approve the settlement was filed with the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on February 16, 2007 by AlphaStar's Chapter 7 Trustee, Richard E. O'Connell. The deadline for objections to the Andersen agreement is March 8 and a hearing to approve it is scheduled to be held on March 13.

Trade and Commerce Bank liquidator sues Arthur Andersen over audits

October 25, 2006

A civil complaint has been filed in the Cayman Islands against Arthur Andersen LLP for alleged negligence concerning audits of a failed Cayman Islands-licensed bank.The action has been filed at the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands by Christopher Johnson, as liquidator of Trade and Commerce Bank, which went into liquidation in August, 2002.

Stirling Cooke Bankruptcy Trustee sues Goldman Sachs, auditor, D&O, law firm for $80 m

October 5, 2006

Goldman Sachs refused to pull the plug on one of the biggest frauds the insurance industry has ever known for fear it would de-rail the 137-year-old investment banker's own $3.66 billion IPO in May, 1999, it has been claimed.The extraordinary allegation appears in a civil complaint that was filed recently in the United States by the Bankruptcy Trustee of Bermuda-based broker AlphaStar Insurance Group Ltd., formerly known as Stirling Cooke Brown Holdings Ltd., and several of its subsidiaries and affiliates.

Arthur Andersen (Bermuda) sued for audit of telecommunications group

March 31, 2004

Arthur Andersen (Bermuda) is being sued for damages over its work for a Bermuda registered telecommunications group which filed for bankruptcy in 2002.The Andersen group earned "millions of dollars in fees" from FLAG Telecom, including $1.35 million in 2000 alone,

IRS tax investigation focuses on Antigua, Bahamas and Cayman

February 29, 2004

The investigation by the IRS into alleged offshore tax evasion by United States taxpayers using offshore credit cards appears to be currently focusing on Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands. Although the IRS has previously announced it is targeting more than 30 offshore centers, these three are the only countries to feature in a slew of "John Doe" summonses issued recently by U. S. federal courts.

Andersen chaos causes delay in $10 million payments

October 31, 2003

The Arthur Andersen group is in such structural chaos that a Bermuda-based mutual insurer for accounting firms has more than $10 million to pay out but does not know where to send it.Professional Asset Indemnity Ltd., of Bermuda, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, PAIL Vermont Insurance Company, of Vermont, is so confused that it has taken the matter to court.

Arthur Andersen captive seeks Scheme of Arrangement

November 30, 2002

Arthur Andersen's Bermuda registered captive, Professional Services Insurance Company Ltd., is seeking to enter into a Scheme of Arrangement with its creditors.An order was issued at Bermuda Supreme Court on November 14, 2002 granting the firm's application to meet with

United Kingdom: John Abrahamson et al

October 24, 2002

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in the United Kingdom into alleged fraud by John Abrahamson, Geoffrey Brailey, Roger Eden and Jeffrey Fowler, who were all former directors of Corporate Services Group Plc.

Arizona AG demands documents on Arthur Andersen’s Bermuda captive

April 30, 2002

Arthur Andersen has caused outrage in Arizona by backing out of a $217 million fraud settlement, apparently because its Bermuda-registered captive was unwilling or unable to cover the loss.The accounting firm then compounded its critics by failing to fully comply with a subpoena duces tecum issued by the Arizona Attorney General on April 2.The subpoena required the production - within 48 hours - of documents showing the financial condition of the Arthur Andersen group and Professional Services Insurance Company Ltd., of Bermuda.

Arthur Andersen’s Bermuda captives face uncertain future

January 31, 2002

Two Bermuda-based captives that are either wholly or partly owned by Arthur Andersen face an uncertain future following the collapse of Enron Corp. in the United States. They are Professional Services Insurance Company Ltd., which is owned by Andersen firms in 32 countries, and Professional Asset Indemnity Ltd., which is owned by the Big Five accounting firms.

Switzerland: Gerard Blohorn et al

April 26, 2000

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Switzerland into Gerard Blohorn, Michel Pichard, Jean Marie Degueldre, Bernard Bouloc, Robert Gauthier, Florence Amaudric du Chaffaut, Francois Blohorn, Louis Blohorn, Stephane Blohorn and Sybille Blohorn for possible fraud regarding the estate of the late Emile Andre Blohorn.

Stirling Cooke might be up for sale

April 30, 1999

April was yet another disastrous month for Stirling Cooke Brown Holdings as its share price fell by 60 per cent and KPMG Peat Marwick resigned as its auditor after just two years. The company also announced it planned to hire a financial adviser to "explore ways to boost shareholder value", a move which often signals that a company is considering putting itself up for sale.