Forensic accounting, as the name suggests, is a concept related to accounting and its definition can be made briefly.
It is one of the branches of forensic science and investigation that concerns the accounting and finance parts of events that cause conflict between two persons or companies – legal entities and need to be resolved by legal means.
Forensic accountants are tasked with analyzing, interpreting, and summarizing complex financial and business issues. When financial crimes are evaluated, the subjects covered by Forensic Accounting Services in India can be listed as follows;
- Financial Frauds,
- Disputes Between Tax Agencies and Private Firms,
- Disputes Between Individuals and Tax Institutions,
- Disputes Between Two Institutions Regarding Tax or Financial Elements,
- Tax Irregularities,
- Frauds Regarding Accounting Records, Bill of Lading or invoices, etc.
Forensic Accounting Procedure
Forensic accounting requires a different type of handling than a normal audit. Each situation requires a different protocol. The audit process involves initial investigation, reporting of information, and final litigation. Following is the forensic accounting procedure:
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Investigation
Forensic accountants initiate investigations and collect evidence when suspicion of fraud exists. The data to look for when conducting an investigation is a discrepancy that may indicate fraud has occurred including a red flag.
Forensic accountants may interview company staff or parties involved to obtain more information and attempt to find the individual behind the fraud.
The forensic accountant will begin to form a hypothesis about what happened and create a follow-up plan to continue the business assessment of all the information that has been collected.
Once this step has reached completion, the forensic accountant determines what further action is required and conveys this information to the company.
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Reporting
After forensic accounting has gathered information and developed a case, they present a summary of their findings to the necessary personnel.
This summary includes the methods suggested by the forensic accountant to avoid fraudulent incidents in the company. After submitting this report, the forensic accountant prepares for his role in the litigation related to the case.
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Litigation
Forensic Accounting provides accounting analysis for different companies suitable for use in legal proceedings. And as stated earlier, forensic accounting specialists collect financial evidence and communicate their findings in the form of reports or presentations on behalf of clients.
As in other forensic sciences, forensic accounting has its methods of inquiry, investigation, examination, and evidence collection.
Processing various mistakes or irregularities, especially accounting records, brings with it criminal liability. In addition to all these, there is a need for experts working in the field of forensic accounting to establish the accused’s crime.
Crimes that are subject to forensic accounting crime and have criminal sanctions can also occur against taxpayer institutions, between two companies, or between companies and government institutions.
When the companies in question are holdings and businesses, the “legal entity” is considered to be the person in the managerial position of the company or enterprise.
However, a financial crime may be committed not by the owner or manager of the firm, but also by the person performing the accounting transactions. The specialists providing Forensic Accounting Services in Delhi discuss and examine all kinds of issues related to accounting in disputes and courts.