ACCOUNTS NOT AUDITED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17889, 17 September 1921, Page 8

ACCOUNTS NOT AUDITED.

FINE 01 £50 IMPOSED.

SOLICITOR ADMITS BREACH.

I Failure to have his trust account I audited, as required by the provisions of the Law Practitioners' Amendment Act, resulted in Archibald Lyon Denniston, solicitor, being fined £50 bv Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday. Mr. Patterson _ appeared on behalf of the Solicitor-Oenoraf. _ Defendant was charged that, being a solicitor in practice during the year ended March 31, 1921. he failed for a period of one month fco cause his trust account to be audited by a qualified accountant within three months 1 after the end of the year, contrary to the regulations under the Law Practitioners' Amendment Act, 1913. There was <i similar information in respect of the year 1920.

Defendant entered a formal plea of guilty. Mr. Patterson said, as defendant had pleaded guilty to one information be had been authorised to withdraw the other. There was. an accountant) auditing the books at present, and he .had been informed everything was in order. Defendant pleaded guilty to a technical breach of the regulations. He said too failure to audit the books was doe to the action of the accountant in his employ. An accountant was at present auditing the books, everything was in order, ana the certificate would be forwarded to the Solicitor-General shortly. The magistrate said it was a serious matter not to have the books audited. Mr. Patterson said t.he minimum fine for the offence was £50. Defendant said it was due to no fault of his own. •He could l prove his hooks were perfectly in order. The magistrate said it was a very serious matter. If solicitors ?ot into such a poai tion they must take the consequences. A fine of £60 was imposed.