The Lawyers Weekly - Forensic Accounting & Fraud, 2012

A few assignments followed— chief among them an investigation
of Harold Ballard, owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs NHL hockey
club, who had fraudulently charged some wedding expenses to the
Maple Leaf Gardens’ hockey stick expense account.

In 1975, he decided to open his own shop, which in 1977 was
joined by Don Holmes to become Lindquist Holmes & Co., the first
firm to specialize in forensic accounting in Canada. “The cases we
became involved in had profile and received press that included ref-
erences to us and hence the public awareness of us grew.”
He’d found his true calling. “My involvement in investigations
allowed me to probe into the unknown, using not only my ac-
counting and business knowledge, but also my people skills.
“I love the chase and I also enjoy defending someone who has
been wrongfully accused.”
When asked if he has a favourite among the thousands of cases
he has investigated, Lindquist finds it difficult to choose. “Each case
has brought me a level of incredible personal and professional satis-
faction,” he says, adding that “they were all truly life experiences.”
In 1990, after the death of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, the new
Romanian government called on Lindquist to find the money
Ceausescu had stashed away during his years in power. An inves-
tigation in Austria, Switzerland and Greece identified for recov-
ery millions of dollars in a foreign financial institution in Cyprus.
“This case carried a civic duty to help people begin to enjoy their
newfound freedom believing the anti-corruption regime would
make a difference in their lives,” he says.
In April 1990, Lindquist and a colleague met officials from the
World Bank on their first trip to Romania to discuss its loan pro-
gram during Ceausescu’s reign. Eight years later, he was retained
by the World Bank to assist in its own investigation into allega-
tions related to the improper use of the loan proceeds.

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