The US audit regulator, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has sanctioned PwC Israel for quality control violations related to ‘widespread improper answer sharing’ on internal training tests.

The regulator found that hundreds of individuals at PwC Israel were involved in training exam misconduct, breaching quality control standards related to integrity and personnel management.

PwC Israel has been fined $2.75m (£2.17m) and publicly censured by PCAOB. It must also ensure quality controls are in place to prevent any further occurrences of cheating.

The PwC Israel firm is Kesselman & Kesselman CPA, which is a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited. It has three offices in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, and more than 50 partners and 1,000 staff.