oppn parties Accounting Scandals Keep Tumbling Out

News Snippets

  • 2nd ODI: Rohit Sharma roars back to form with a scintillating ton as India beat England by 4 wickets in a high scoring match in Cuttack
  • Supreme Court will appoint an observer for the mayoral poll in Chandigarh
  • Government makes it compulsory for plastic carry bag makers to put a QR or barcode with their details on such bags
  • GBS outbreak in Pune leaves 73 ill with 14 on ventilator. GBS is a rare but treatable autoimmune disease
  • Madhya Pradesh government banned sale and consumption of liquor at 19 religious sites including Ujjain and Chitrakoot
  • Odisha emerges at the top in the fiscal health report of states while Haryana is at the bottom
  • JSW Steel net profit takes a massive hit of 70% in Q3
  • Tatas buy 60% stake in Pegatron, the contractor making iPhone's in India
  • Stocks return to negative zone - Sensex sheds 329 points to 76190 and Nifty loses 113 points to 23092
  • Bumrah, Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal make the ICC Test team of the year even as no Indian found a place in the ODI squad
  • India take on England in the second T20 today at Chennai. They lead the 5-match series 1-0
  • Ravindra Jadeja excels in Ranji Trophy, takes 12 wickets in the match as Saurashtra beat Delhi by 10 wickets. All other Team India stars disappoint in the national tournament
  • Madhya Pradesh HC says collectors must not apply NSA "under political pressure and without application of mind"
  • Oxfam charged by CBI over violation of FCRA
  • Indian students in the US have started quitting part-time jobs (which are not legally allowed as per visa rules) over fears of deportation
Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh resigns after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda /////// President's Rule likely in Manipur
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Accounting Scandals Keep Tumbling Out

By Sunil Garodia

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.

The chartered accountancy profession in India is passing through troubled times. With the regulatory body, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), acting like a spineless and mute spectator, the reputation of most accounting firms, including the big four, is taking a severe beating as audit scandals come tumbling out of the cupboard.

PwC had to endure a two-year ban as it 'failed' to detect the fraud in the books of Satyam Computer Services. More recently, Ernst and Young were suspended from bank audits as they 'failed' to detect the Yes Bank fraud. Now, the Enforcement Directorate has summoned executives of Deloitte and BSR & Associates (they work for KPMG in India) for the multiple frauds detected in IL& FS scam.

There is a growing perception in financial circles that these are not 'failures'. Experienced auditors like PwC, Ernst & Young, Deloitte & KPMG can point out cooked-up books in a flash. It is being alleged that auditors are colluding with managements to allow cooking-up of books. Auditors are turning a blind eye to accounting malpractices being indulged into by companies. From allowing concealment of losses and related-party transactions to ignoring fund diversion and even leaking insider information, accounting firms stand accused of unethical behaviour of all kinds.

The big four accounting firms have a firm grip on the profession all over the world. In India, they audit more than 70 percent of the big companies including groups like Tata. Since the government wants foreign investments to flow to India, it needs the backing of these audit firms. Hence, it has till now gone soft on them, despite their involvement in big-ticket scandals abroad and an increasing number of scandals in India. But with more and more scandals emerging, SEBI and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office, along with the ED, are examining the role of these auditors with a fine toothcomb.

The problem is that the profession in India is dominated by small players (audit firms with less than 5 partners) and they do not have the wherewithal to take on these global giants. Most Indian firms are also not interested in joining hands and merging to form a big firm to take on these giants, here and in other countries too. In fact, some of them are more interested to get the work palmed off by these giants in sub-contract. The ICAI is also dominated by these small players and they are more interested in retaining their turf rather than bringing discipline in the profession or ensuring that members perform their duties honestly and ethically. The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), established with much fanfare in the aftermath of the Satyam scandal, remains a moribund body. Since the ICAI is either unwilling or unable to play the desired role in regulating the profession, the government must activate the NFRA, provide it with the required infrastructure and give it powers to ensure that audit firms maintain ethical standards and report all issues, even the smallest ones, with due diligence.

Pic courtesy: big4accountingfirms.com