Show A2 — The Herald Journal Logah Utah Friday March 22 2002 Q Nation Investigators take hard look at Wall St institutions Proponents of separating auditing and consulting maintain that accounting firms have jeopardized their independence by'becoming more financially dependent on the lucrative consulting work they do for companies whose bodes they audit They say accounting firms need to be more independent of their clients to avoid conflicts of interest and preserve the integrity of company financial reports — thereby upholding investors’ confidence in the stock markets Critics of current standards point for example to the kind of relationship that Enron had with Andersen WASHINGTON (AP) —The auditing and consulting for the same on securities eminent’s top corporate clients “can and in a numregulator ber of situations clearly does create senators consideringThursday urged reforms not to totally ban - conflicts" of interest post-EnrHowever he said the problem : big accounting firms from providing be resolved by simplistic “cannot services to companies consulting solutions” whose books they audit The accounting industry has come A complete ban '‘dries not guaranunder intense scrutiny following future” Hartee an audit failure-fre- e Enron’s bankruptcy the largest cor-vey Pitt chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission testified porate failure in US history Enron's former auditor Arthur at a hearing of the Senate Banking Andersen LLP pleaded innocent Committee Wednesday in Houston to a federal Addressing one of the major controversies arising from the Enron charge of obstructing justice in debacle Pitt acknowledged that shredding documents and deleting computer files related to Enron allowing accounting firms to do both - I on Many Wall Street financial ana- lysts recommended that investors — which it raid $27 million for consulting and $25 million for auditing last year Another Senate panel investigating Enron's collapse is peeling layers off potent financial institutions that usually operate away from public view g including Wall Street hiy Enron stock almost until it went under — an issue previously examined by the eommmee g Officials of agamies testified at Wednesday’s haring that Enron executives misled them about partnerships used to conceal massive credit-ratin- credit-ratin- agencies Members of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee asked officials of the three big g agencies Wednesday why they maintained high ratings for Enron even as its stock plumfneted last year up until four days before its bankruptcy filingDec 2 debt Senators criticized them for not questioning the finances of the ener- company more closely The complex web of partnerships improperly buttressed by Enron stock ultimately brought down the credit-ratin- ng Houston-base- In brief d company’ Bush plan Federal Web sites remove ‘sensitive’ information that might help terrorists supports marriage programs WASHINGTON (AP) —The White House has ordered government agencies to remove from Web sites and public documents any sensitive information such as locations of nuclear materials that might help terrorists White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card sent a memo to the heads of all agencies and executive departments on Wednesday directing them to immediately safeguard any government records that could help terrorists Card also ordered them to take a look at all public documents and report back to the Office of Homeland Security within 90 days “This is very serious business” White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said “People inadvertently had information 1 1 that should be viewed in a different context in the 1 1 era” Card’s memo first reported by The Washington Times told officials to protect information on weapons of mass destruction “including information about the nuclear materials that could be current locations exploited for use in such weapons” WASHINGTON (AP) — As Congress debates government’s role in promoting mar- riage the Bush administration is considering creating programs to teach teens die benefits of marriage offer counseling to couples mesand inject into die culture sages The program still bong drafted would channel money for the program through the of Man child support collection program a tactic that critics say DETROIT (AP) — A mail sought in the government’s terrormay be illegal ism investigation was ordered extradited to New York on ThursAP photo The plan would not nod day to face charges of credit card fraud from Congress approval Knoller asked Richard as Mens had her Nedra Defense attorney the judge to Ruiz gives dosing arguments oh Monday in the Helfrick Marjorie attorney right Los Angeles trial of lOidler and her husband Robert Noel Knoller who was present when two dogs she Which is considering President release his client Souhail Sarwer so he could go to New York and her husband kept attacked Diane ISJftkgflriA tneir san Francisco apartment Dunning on Bush’s request to devote hunon his own wnippie m a railway dreds of millions of dollars Noel 26 were and' last convicted and murder Jan qf year manslaughter on Thursday US District Judge Avem Cohn refused saying Sarwer promoting marriage through driver’s address had to no in license have appeared permanent welfare two states was living apart from his wife and had told authoriThe proposed child support ties his real name was Abdul Hameed ' Pakissued Nov accused 5 A grand jury indictment Sarwer a program would involve a maximum of about $22 million in istan native and two other men of committing credit ciud fraud m federal and state money for' between Februaryand October 200 about 13 communities accordHelfrick his attorney did not immediately return a message r HM left Thursday nigh seeking comment on the fraud dhtawer"i ing totWo draft documents ' ' that describe the plan Sarwer was among 93 people identified by — LOS ANGELES A before the (AP) convicting Advocates for the poor John Ashcroft in November as facing federal cpuple wtpe&td saveWhipple by ' woman whose two huge dogs bn all counts Some were alleged members of Osama bin Laden’s fferoWing'herseinetween ha charge that the plqn could mauled a neighbor to death in A large group of Whipple’s others were charged with child pornography Social Security neighbor and fee enraged siphon off money needed to San Francisco apartment their friends and ha domestic part-n- a Bane They also disputed the fraud illegal firearm possession and immigration violations administa child support prowitnesses’ accounts of being Sharon Smith burst into The government’s original petition to extradite Sarwer to New building was convicted Thursgrams is inconsistent wife fee tears in the courtroom menaced by fee dogs day of murder a charge rarely York described him as not only a suspect in the fraud case but of die child support progoals leveled in an animal attack “There’s no real joy in this The gruesome case was a also as a “material witness” but did not elaborate and is an effort by die gram US Attorney Robert Cares withdrew that petition Wednesday Her husband was found guilty but certainly some measure of sensation in San Francisco: administration to bypass Con- of involuntary manslaughter and submitted one citing only the credit card fraud charges justice fa Diane was done Whipple a successful memba gross Marjorie Knoller 46 could ' today” Smith said lata Tm of the city’s gay community Federal officials have denied Sarwer was being sought because Encouraging tworparent was savagely killed outside years to life in prison he might have had contact wife one of the Sept 11 hijackers glad to see fee jury didn’t buy fnmiliM is a "laudable goal” some of the smokescreens that ha door m exclusive Pacific said Vicki Turetsky a child conviction in last year'sdeath were put in front of them” Heights ha throat ripped 1 link support expert at fee Centa of Diane Whipple Knolla’s rnurria conviction open by an exotic breed of fa Law and Social Policy Knoller looked stricken bponf-- is believed tribe only the third dogs known fa its ferocity CHICAGO (AP) — FBI agents have linked a graduate stu“But that’s not die goal of die Soon word spread that the dent to the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center and hearing the verdict fighting ' in US history in a child support program” back tears and turning to look owners were lawyers who ing case But in pursuing fee Pentagon based on a search of telephone records according to The federal dollars that her at to She the court papers parents appeared specialized in lawsuits on would be toed fa this pro- mouth “Help” rife lawyers behalf of inmates They were Ali Salem Kahlah was arrested Jan 28 and is being ' she said were approved husband knew their two powerful Piresa also in fee process of adopting gram Ha held in New York on a federal charge of unlawful possession of fa the purpose of ' by Congress Robert Noel showed no reacCanarios were “time bombs” an inmate more than 15 credit cards which were found in his home in' child support collections she tion Bodnycre convicted on and they brriUght in more than gang West Peoria 111 during a Dec 11 search ibaPaulSchneida said not!for marriage activi-the manslaughter charge as 30 witnesses who said they When questioned by federal agents following the search who officials said was trying' well as having a mischievous had been terrorized by the 36 denied any knowledge of terrorism the newly toruna is Press ties Therefore she and others said the program may noi be that someone killed unsealed court documents say He has not been charged'with Canarios fa use as guard dog dogs Bane and Hera legaL set was The defense attacks his and in the that role contended fa May Sentencing dogsany lawyer Richard Jasptt Sept ll 10 in San Francisco In all fee Kndla and Nod couldjnot Jr questioned the alleged link to the terrorists have known their animal An affidavit accompanying an application for a search jury deliberated for about 11 12 hours ova three days would kill and that KnolW rant hone says using calling cards attempted to call a number suspected Sept 11 hijackers uses three times on Sept 23 Oct 24 and Nov 4 com-munityw-ide er pro-marria- ge credit card fraud accused a - fa ‘ n Ml 1- lfl SIS Agents student to terrorists 9-1- dog-ma- I uk Al-Ma- ni ld white-supremac- ist Al-Ma- rri forAl-Marri- ’s Al-Ma- ni "h Magazine calls 13 cities the greatest DETROIT (AP)— A men’s magazine says the Motor City is the Greatest City on Earth — and so are 12 otha North ' American cities1 Maxim printed 13 versions of its April issue each touting a different city as the greatest f ’j'i i i About 73000 copies of die magazine named Detroit NO 1 It was distributed throughout Michigan Ohio and Indiana i “I felt a little guilty” senior editor James Heidenry said “We just couldn’t bring ourselves to tell die Southies in V Boston that they weren’t No i or dp people in New York that (hey weren’t Noil So like guy juggling different girlfriends we toldthem all they were Ho I”1:' Maxim’s circulation tops 25 million three times'more than-GHeiddniy likened Detroit to die Coupe de Ville and said What American guy doesn’t l’ love Detroit?" i' J Q: ’ V ' - SC A t y C J ' v : ' ir 'i 'I 'v- : ' ' v:J j i r1 ? |