Sanctions
Consent Orders
CIMA’s Investigation Committee can impose one or more of a limited range of sanctions with the consent of the member or registered student against whom the complaint has been made, as follows:
- admonishment
- reprimand
- severe reprimand
- fine
- payment of costs (although this is not strictly a sanction).
As the detail of each complaint can vary widely, the sanction will depend on the individual case in question.
The following types of complaint may be dealt with by a Consent Order if proved, although there will be exceptions:
- failure to deal effectively with clients’ or employers’ affairs
- failure to deal professionally with the public
- conduct which might bring discredit to CIMA
- failure to respond appropriately to a superseding accountant
- misrepresentation of qualifications to an employer
- failure to respond to correspondence from CIMA.
When the Investigation Committee decides that a prima facie case against the member or student is established, where appropriate it can conclude a case by way of the Consent Order procedure which requires the member or student concerned to agree to the imposition of a sanction(s).
If the member or student concerned does not agree to a Consent Order – or if the Investigation Committee considers it more appropriate - the complaint is referred to the Disciplinary Committee for a determination as to whether the member or student is guilty of misconduct.
The Investigation Committee considers any objections raised by a complainant to the conclusion of a complaint by a Consent Order.
Sanctions, fines and costs
If a complaint of misconduct against a member or student is upheld, the Disciplinary Committee will direct that one or more of the following sanctions be imposed:
- admonishment
- reprimand
- severe reprimand
- suspension or cancellation of registration as a Member in Practice
- withdrawal of practising certificate (if in practice)
- a fine (presently of an unlimited amount for members and up to £2,000 for students)
- conditional membership or conditional student registration
- expulsion as a member or cancellation of a student’s registration
- payment of part or all of the costs of the proceedings (although this is not strictly a sanction).
A copy of the "Indicative Sanctions Guidance" booklet is available to download. This sets out the approach CIMA's conduct committees must take whenever a sanction is imposed upon a Member or Registered Student. It also lists previous decisions on sanctions made by the Investigation, Disciplinary & Appeal Committees in recent years.
