In a bit of a spin

Oops. There is at least an Augean stable’s worth of ordure emerging from the revelations about Saharanpur’s least popular export, and it’s not surprising that it’s flying thick and fast, and sticking to anybody who’s had any dealings with the brothers Gupta.

There is clearly a feeling among the commentariat, and in particular in the more frothy-mouthed depths of chat rooms, that heads must roll. As there appears to be no hurry among the principals of the saga to stretch their well-upholstered necks on the block, the mob has turned on the bit-players.

KPMG has issued a rather tepid statement, admitting the somewhat hard-to-deny fact that it was a touch beyond the call of a bean counter’s duty to have no less than four partners joining in the formation dancing at the Sun City wedding to end all weddings.

To establish whether there was anything less than squeaky clean in the services the firm offered the Guptas, it has announced a comprehensive review of the facts to be undertaken by, err, KPMG International.

This not-so-independent review will concentrate on areas such as client acceptance. While it’s under way, the lead audit engagement partner has been suspended and two other partners have been relieved of their executive positions.

It’s something of a desperate scramble to avoid trust in the group’s brand being eroded to the point that other clients fear being tainted by association and run for the hills. Amid the shouting, the loudest noise may be the sighs of relief from the rest of the Big Four that they dodged this particular bullet.