I always thought that accountants were pretty smart folks. Sure, there are a few here and there who aren't - but that is true for all professions, including lawyers.
Today's announcement of the indictment of former KPMG partners therefore brought a little surprise. While the indictment for tax fraud and obstruction, was not a surprise - the criminal investigation has been going on for over a year, one of the allegations was interesting.
According to the NYT article, one of the partners sent an email which discussed upcoming testimony, and which said that the best strategy was 'the less said the better.' As a result, the e-mail message continued, the record will reflect repeated 'I don't knows,' 'I don't recalls,' and 'I was out of the loops' - the rope-a-dope/Enron defense."
Can someone explain what presumably bright, intelligent and business-savy individuals do not get about obstruction of justice and lying to investigators? Where these guys in a cave when Martha Stewart was being prosecuted for lying to federal investigators?
And why don't prospective defendants understand that their email is retrievable?
