Content area

Abstract

This paper discuses some aspects of the independence of external auditor and corporate fraud. The author examines the adequacy of auditor's independence and determines whether or not inadequacy of auditor's independence is responsible for corporate fraud. Carty (1991: 60) said: "Fraud has rarely been out of the headlines recently: Guinness, Dunsdale Securities, Nicholas Young and now the daddy of them all, BCCI"; and he continued, "fraud of every kind is on the increase. Over 90% of major fraud cases are dealt with by the Fraud Investigation Group (FIG) of the Crown Prosecution Service. Fraud Investigation Group's work load is approaching 900 fraud cases and increasing". In a descriptive manner, however, the paper examines: (a) qualities required of professional external auditors; (b) auditor's independence--statutory regulations; (c) regulatory bodies such as Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW); Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN); American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA); and Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (CACA), with their ethical guidelines on auditor's independence; and deficiencies in the present practice. A few suggestions are finally put forward that, if accepted, would improve the performance of auditors and make corporate fraudsters think twice before making any move.

Details

Title
Auditor's independence and corporate fraud
Correspondence author
Publication title
Volume
10
Issue
2
Pages
135-139
Number of pages
5
Publication year
2005
ISSN
0971-8923
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Peer reviewed
Yes
Language of publication
English
Document type
Journal Article
Update
2006-09-28
Accession number
2005-0301040
ProQuest document ID
58871881
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/auditors-independence-corporate-fraud/docview/58871881/se-2?accountid=208611
Last updated
2016-09-28
Database
ProQuest One Academic