Forensic Accountancy Made Famous

Once only spoken of in the business world or high profile divorce cases, forensic accountancy has now become so ‘mainstream’ that even scriptwriters on prime time TV can use the phrase, safe in the knowledge that the viewing public will know what the characters are talking about.  Just this week on the BBC series Shetland, the lead police officer ordered his DC to get the forensic accountants on to the electronic records of a suspect “fast”, as he was convinced that what they unearthed would provide the evidence of his guilt or innocence.

This underlines the job of the forensic accountant, which is to establish the truth of a matter, from defending an employee against allegations of financial impropriety to placing a true value on a business.  However, most people still think of forensic accountancy in terms of proving guilt when, in fact, the skills of an investigative accountant are just as often used in defence.

Business disputes can get ugly and forensic accountants are often used by partners or employees who are being attacked to mount a solid defence, safe in the knowledge that their team’s expertise will have enabled them to build a strong case that can stand up in a court of law, should the matter come to it.

With the services of a skilled, independent and experienced forensic accountant on their side, anyone who needs to prove that their actions have been honest and legal can be sure that no stone will have been left unturned in their defence and that the team will have put together an easily understandable and detailed report explaining this.

Author: Roger Isaacs, 4 April 2014

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