FORENSIC ACCOUNTING
Complex business situations, investigations by regulators or the police, and allegations of fraud or misconduct are the kinds of circumstances that could lead to a financial investigation.
Whether dealing with a case of misappropriation of funds or reporting irregularities, financial investigation expertise is vital. Investigative accounting can provide the facts to assist in answering the question: What happened?
As forensic accounting specialists, we have the expertise to assist our clients in a wide variety of situations, including the following:
- Financial statement manipulation
- Investigation into the misappropriation of assets
- Procurement fraud
- Professional negligence
- Regulatory investigations
- Employment conflict (fraud or wrongful dismissal)
- Financial crimes including money laundering and embezzlement
While every investigative engagement is unique, our typical approach can be described as follows:
- Meet with the client and/or counsel to understand the situation at hand.
- Establish the scope and terms of the engagement.
- Develop an investigative work plan specific to the situation at hand.
- Prepare a list of preliminary information required to conduct the investigation.
- Conduct interviews of key individuals involved in the matter at hand.
- Review information that has been accumulated, verify facts presented during interviews, identify further information requirements, and summarize findings.
- Prepare a report of findings where necessary.
- If required, attend at trial or other proceedings to communicate findings.
We also have considerable experience in compliance reviews. For a business or organization to function properly, a set of rules and procedures governing the actions of its constituents is often put in place. With our investigative mindset, we can provide organizations with a review of those policies and procedures, and report on the extent to which they are, or are not, being followed. Government offices, enforcement agencies, and professional organizations are just a few examples of organizations that must comply with a set of standards to be held accountable to the stakeholders or the regulatory bodies for those organizations.