The U.K.’s accounting watchdog Thursday ordered KPMG to pay a £13 million (U.S. $18 million) fine for “breaches of the principles of integrity and objectivity” in its advisory role regarding the 2011 sale of mattress company Silentnight to U.S. private equity firm HIG Capital. A former KPMG partner was also sanctioned.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...