The U.K. information tribunal has dismissed a final appeal from a campaigner to force the Financial Reporting Council to respond to a freedom of information request, the Financial Times reported Oct. 18.

Margot Gibbs filed an appeal urging the accounting regulator to respond to requests for information related to an investigation into the bank HBOS PLC.

In 2017, The FRC cleared KPMG of misconduct over its controversial role as auditor of Lloyds Banking Group PLC unit HBOS, which has been subject to a probe over alleged fraud at its Reading, U.K., branch.

Gibbs has requested more information from the regulator since then, on the grounds of freedom of information act. She asked for copies of emails and notes exchanged between the regulator's conduct committee members regarding its decision in 2013 not to examine KPMG's audit work on HBOS.

The FRC rejected her request twice, after which Gibbs reached out to Information Commissioner's Office, which rejected her case in 2018, the FT said.