Friday, 17 April 2015

Forensic Accountants and the New Regulatory Environment

Blog 3


The role of a forensic accountant is to assist the courts, solicitors and clients to analyse, interpret, summarize and present complex financial and business information.  



Replacing the standards APS11 and G2, a revised edition APS215 Forensic Accounting Services was introduced. Requirements were tightened to enhance professional standards as the demand placed on forensic accountants grew Australia. However, there is concern that some professionals do not understand the changes.

Practice Note CM7, Guideline 1.1 specifies that when in court, an expert witness is required to use the experts area of expertise to assist the courts. In order to have expertise knowledge in the forensic accounting field, he/she should be aware of any regulatory changes to assist the court. 

As with any area of expertise, I think it is an expectation that a professional will be update to date with any changes that occur in their field. I used to be employed at a consumer electronics store. Due to the nature of technology, the products we offered were rapidly and frequently changing.  It was expected and also essential to know these changes and how these changes impacted certain products in order to assist the customers. Likewise, a forensic accountant should know the regulatory changes whether acting as an advocate to assist their clients or giving evidence as an expert witness to satisfy their duties in court.

Appendix:

http://www.michaelkirby.com.au/images/stories/speeches/2000s/2011/2525-FORENSIC-ACCOUNTING-CONF-MARCH-2011.pdf

http://www.apesb.org.au/development/APESBCMS/ver1.3/uploads/news/speeches_presentation/25112014025238_APESB_Presentation_-_CAANZ_Forensic_Accounting_Conference_-_29_Oct_2014.pdf 
 

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