Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 07, 2015 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
I refer to Wesley Hicken’s letter, “Anand Goolsarran and Christopher Ram should not conduct these audits” (KN July 5th 2015)
I suspect that Mr. Hicken is not an accountant for if that were so then he would know that accountants deal in hard facts.
The reference to Lord Hoffman, quote “the appearance of bias was sufficient to cause the decision of the court to be set aside”, could not in the wildest of accounting matters have any bearing on audits and the more detailed ones, forensic audits.
Audits are reviews and verification of financial matters, which are concrete figures relative to income, its sources and to expenditures, with supporting documents thereto.
Unlike the Courts where facts and evidence are presented and these are weighed vis-à-vis the law and precedents established by prior decisions, and a final decision given in the form of an opinion based on all of the above, audits are conclusions based on factual evidence. The paper trail is the generic term given.
There can be no bias by any auditor appointed to do any audit, for at the end of the audit, the report has to be based on the factual evidence presented. The moment the auditor starts to give verbal explanations on missing documents, and inexperienced staff not fully knowing how to treat various monetary items, antennae are raised, and much more detailed work is done.
It is a time-consuming job where the records are deficient, such as cheques issued without no supporting invoices, funds transferred from one account to another and no reason given for such transfers; and accounts closed and no documentation existing to follow the location of those funds. It is hard evidence. The paper trail is still an integral part of any audit and greater so in forensic audits.
Mr. Hicken raises two matters regarding the currently appointed accountants:
1. Potentially not qualified
2. Lack of impartiality
One can easily discard the suggestion of potentially not qualified, as these accountants have the full academic qualifications, have been in that occupation for many years and have the public faith and trust that they will perform as well as they have in the past.
In terms of being the best among the best, they well fit that description and Mr. Hicken would be best advised to read the curriculum vitae of these two accountants and see how much they have excelled.
How can there be lack of impartiality? At the end of their assignments, they have to give an opinion based on the hard evidence presented to them. This has nothing to do with previous comments and opinions they might have made during the reign of the past government on that government’s activities, which at that time appeared to lack proper support. That was then. This is now and if perchance as auditors they have to pursue the financial details of those activities, their final opinion will be based on the hard evidence found and produced.
Therefore where is the lack of impartiality? Only but a figment in the imagination of Mr. Hicken
Finally Mr. Hicken, these accountants are professionals and have a duty to do their jobs fairly, efficiently, and in keeping with their training and skills. Their opinions and conclusions have to be based on factual evidence. I am eagerly awaiting the results of their audits.
If as a result of these audits, any individual is taken before the courts, then Lord Hoffman’s, “the appearance of bias” could be invoked if the paper trail is absent. But it won’t be absent, for these auditors would have given opinions based on hard evidence, viz, the paper trail!
Carl Veecock
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