Madoff auditor to get grilled by investigators

David Friehling, the auditor at the accounting firm that signed off Bernard
Madoff’s books, has been subpoenaed by investigators.

Friehling & Horowitz audited Madoff’s financial statements for decades,
according to press reports.

In the UK, Mark Byers, Andrew Hosking and Steve Akers, all partners at Grant
Thornton have been appointed joint provisional liquidators of Madoff Securities
International Limited.

The joint provisional liquidators will be assessing the assets and
liabilities of the company, and will be cooperating with the Financial Services
Authority in the UK and the various authorities in the United States.

Steve Akers said: ‘Our appointment has been effected with the full support
and cooperation of Lee Richards, a partner in the US law firm Richards Kibbe
& Orbe, the Receiver appointed in the United States.

‘We expect that we will need to take some time in assessing the affairs of
the company: however our initial objective will be to safeguard its assets. We
have begun our initial forensic investigation.’