Andersen Polska seeks merger to avoid parent's problems

With the US parent company facing possible bankruptcy, the management of Andersen's Polish unit has admitted that it is in talks with a number of global auditing companies, with the aim of agreeing a merger. "We are looking for the best solutions, which have the purpose of ensuring that the company continues functioning. We do not exclude talks at the European or the local level," said Andersen Polska spokesman Bartlomiej Pawlak. In an interview with Rzeczpospolita Pawlak admitted that the president of Andersen Polska, Duleep Aluwihare, is already involved in talks about a possible merger in Poland. Andersen Polska's standing on the Polish market is believed to be strong, since it services a number of leading companies and has gained their confidence. However, American lawyers acting on behalf of the victims of the Enron scandal claim companies currently operating under the Andersen name would not be exonerated from responsibility if they broke their links with Andersen. (Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 2; Rzeczpospolita, p. B4) P.W.