Ok, interesting bbc link, thanks, but actually the news story you've linked to does support the argument that Accenture's off the hook for Andersen's issues:
"Confusion is added to the Andersen angle by the fact that Accenture (the renamed Andersen Consulting), until 2000 its sister company, has also been close to Labour - Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt used to be its research director.
The companies split in 2000 when Andersen Consulting left the Andersen Worldwide group following a long running and bitter court case.
The accounting and consulting arms of the group had been running as separate companies within the group since 1989.
Andersen Consulting, renamed Accenture in 2001, has never been involved in accounting or auditing.
The company complains its history is often inaccurately reported and indeed highlights that Accenture/Andersen Consulting was never banned from government work after De Lorean."
The whole RadarSat-2 spat hadn't registered at all with me at the time, but your comment prompted me to hit Google and find the following, which seems to be the latest word on the topic:
http://www.spaceviews.com/2000/06/29a.html. Seems like our (Canadian) government has contracted an Italian launching agency (having its own trouble with U.S. export restrictions, incidentally) to conduct the launch since NASA backed out. Good thing we have lots of friends...
Slashdot Mirror
Ok, interesting bbc link, thanks, but actually the news story you've linked to does support the argument that Accenture's off the hook for Andersen's issues:
"Confusion is added to the Andersen angle by the fact that Accenture (the renamed Andersen Consulting), until 2000 its sister company, has also been close to Labour - Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt used to be its research director.
The companies split in 2000 when Andersen Consulting left the Andersen Worldwide group following a long running and bitter court case.
The accounting and consulting arms of the group had been running as separate companies within the group since 1989.
Andersen Consulting, renamed Accenture in 2001, has never been involved in accounting or auditing.
The company complains its history is often inaccurately reported and indeed highlights that Accenture/Andersen Consulting was never banned from government work after De Lorean."
[disclosure: I work for Accenture]
The whole RadarSat-2 spat hadn't registered at all with me at the time, but your comment prompted me to hit Google and find the following, which seems to be the latest word on the topic: http://www.spaceviews.com/2000/06/29a.html. Seems like our (Canadian) government has contracted an Italian launching agency (having its own trouble with U.S. export restrictions, incidentally) to conduct the launch since NASA backed out. Good thing we have lots of friends...