Litigation Support Research Articles

Building the Foundation: Towards a Theoretical Framework for Forensic Accounting

This study proposed a forensic accounting theory after examining how the impact of certain variables and their interplay on forensic accounting practices can contribute to developing integrated and robust fraud prevention strategies, enhance organizational accountability, and strengthen the overall integrity of financial and internal control systems. In literature, most studies on forensic accounting and fraud prevention have primarily focused on broader aspects such as governance, ethics, and accountability and are largely predicated on theories such as fraud diamond theory and agency theory that seek to understand the causes of fraud, highlighting the importance of forensic accounting in fraud prevention and detection, without suggesting practical forensic accounting frameworks. Also, the forensic accounting theory developed by Peterson Ozil in 2020 examines how the investigator’s attitude or mindset at the time of decision-making influences the outcomes of a forensic investigation. While these studies provide valuable insights into the overall context of fraud prevention, there is a scarcity of research on the specific forensic accounting processes that should be implemented to enhance the effectiveness of fraud prevention measures. This is the significant difference between the current study and previous studies. Therefore, the proposed Vutumu Forensic Accounting Theory serves as the guiding philosophy that underpins the integrated approach of combining control system reliance, litigation support, whistleblower hotlines, sustainable governance systems, ethical philosophy, digital fraud review frequencies, accounting record to reporting quality, and the frequency of system reviews, thereby enabling organizations to establish a proactive framework that addresses various dimensions of fraud prevention and detection. The implementation of the theory emerges as a formidable and comprehensive anti-fraud strategy, seamlessly integrating multiple elements to create a robust defense against fraudulent activities, safeguarding financial integrity, ethical conduct, and accountability within organizations. Furthermore, it is the researcher’s desire that this study serve as a foundation for further research and practical implementation of forensic accounting frameworks in strengthening the ability to detect and prevent fraud.

Influence of Forensic Accounting on Litigation Support and Engagement in Nigeria

Influence of Forensic Accounting on Litigation Support and Engagement in Nigeria

IMPACT OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING ON FRAUD DETECTION IN NIGERIAN DEPOSIT MONEY BANKS

This study investigated the impact of forensic accounting on fraud detection in deposit money banks within Benue State, Nigeria, utilizing a cross-sectional research design. The population consisted of 145 employees from three deposit money banks operating in Makurdi Metropolis, Benue State. A census sampling technique was employed, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire validated through content and construct validity methods, achieving a Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.872. The study employed binary logistic regression to estimate the impact of forensic accounting variables on fraud detection. The findings reveal that Engagement of Forensic Accountants (EFA) significantly enhances fraud detection, with a coefficient (B) of 1.671 (SE = 0.414), Wald statistic of 9.830 (p 0.001), and odds ratio (Exp(B)) of 3.911. This implies a 291.1 increase in the likelihood of fraud detection with the engagement of forensic accountants, underscoring their pivotal role in improving financial transparency and accountability. Conversely, Litigation Support Skills (LSA) did not show a statistically significant impact on fraud detection (B = 0.541, SE = 0.378, p = 0.152), suggesting limited effectiveness in this context. However, Forensic Investigative Professional Skills (FIS) demonstrated a significant positive impact (B = 1.203, SE = 0.406, p = 0.015), increasing the likelihood of detecting fraud by 104.4. The study recommends that banks prioritize the integration of forensic accountants into internal audit processes to bolster fraud detection capabilities effectively. Furthermore, continuous professional development in forensic investigative techniques should be emphasized to enhance staff skills and readiness in identifying and mitigating complex fraud schemes.

Role of Forensic Accounting in Uncovering Accounting Fraud

This study concentrated on the Role of Forensic Accounting in Uncovering Accounting Fraud with reference to Guaranty Trust Bank Enugu Metropolis. The study amongst others examines the role, scope and tools of forensic accounting in detecting accounting fraud. For the objective to be achieved, questionnaire was used as a major source of data. 81 respondents were used as total population while 67 was used as the sample size of the study. Taro-Yamane statistical tool was applied as a method for sample size determination. Table and five point likert style was used for presentation and analysis of data. chi-square was used for test of hypothesis. The findings indicates that the roles of Forensic accounting in detecting accounting fraud is identification of fraud such as fake teller valuations, suspicious bankruptcy valuations, and analysis of financial documents in fraud schemes, the scope of forensic accounting in detecting accounting fraud are litigation support and investigative accounting services and the forensic accounting tools in detecting accounting fraud are training, mindset, risk assessment, systems analysis, mathematical modeling and exception reporting. The study therefore recommended that different organizations should always advocate forensic accounting as a means of uncovering accounting fraud because it will always help for quick identification of fake teller/receipt, suspicious bankruptcy and analysis of financial documents through valuation method, management of business entities both private and public should try all possible means in focusing on the main scope of forensic accounting such as litigation and investigation services for it help for proper detection of accounting fraud at the right time in a way it will not affect the profitability of business and training, mindset mathematical modeling and others as tools of forensic accounting should be employ by organizations an

Impact of Forensic Accounting on Fraud Management: An Examination of Some Selected Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

This study examined the impact of forensic accounting on fraud management, a study of selected deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study used a survey research design and a five-point Likert scale to collect data used for the analysis of the research work. Regression Analysis and Analysis of (Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data collected. The results revealed that forensic accounting has positive and significant impact on fraud prevention, fraud detection and fraud reduction in deposits money banks in Nigeria. The study has contributed to knowledge as follows: It would save the bank the heavy losses they experience due to fraud. It will serve as a policy statement to guide regulatory authorities. Researchers would also find the study very useful. The study therefore recommended that regulatory authorities in the financial industry should make it a policy and a requirement for all banks in Nigeria to have a forensic unit or department. The banks should invest in updated technology to curb fraud. Fraudulent bank staff should be prosecuted and forensic experts should be hired to provide litigation support to ensure that they are prosecuted. This would serve asa deterrence to others to desist from fraudulent acts.

The System of Indigenous Peoples’ Protection in BRICS States: An Overview of Legal and Litigation Support

This article provides an overview of the international obligations of the BRICS member states related to the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights, as well as discusses the current trends in the ethno-national policies of those countries. The authors arrive at the conclusion that though the majority of the BRICS states are parties to the basic human rights agreements, there is no full-fledged agreement on the protection of indigenous peoples within the BRICS framework specifically addressing the rights of indigenous people, even though the countries collectively have aboriginal communities. One of the primary and major reasons why the BRICS countries are reluctant to assume obligations under the existing agreements compared to the Euro-Atlantic bloc of Western states is the motley ethno-cultural “palette” of these countries, which complicates public administration in this area of legal relations. Both India and China are state parties to the International Labor Organization Convention 107, which provides for “paternalism” and “integration” of the indigenous population without explicitly recognizing their “right to self-determination” and development within the framework of this right. The main problems associated with ethnopolitics in the BRICS countries are those pertaining to the provision of legal frameworks and litigation support to uphold the right to self-identification, protection of the native language and the preservation of traditional uses of natural resources.

Protecting people with disabilities’ data privacy in government information disclosure: facilitation by procurator-led public-interest litigation

Improper processing of sensitive personal data concerning disabled people in government information disclosure not only violates their privacy rights but also leads to discrimination, stigmatization, and other serious secondary harm, that have long been overlooked. China’s procurator-led public-interest litigation system is a powerful tool for protecting the privacy rights of vulnerable groups. This paper contends that procurator-led public-interest litigation, as a supplement to and support for private-interest litigation, assists the Chinese government in fulfilling its international obligations to protect the right to privacy of disabled people.

The Effect of Forensic Audit Services on Tax Fraud in South-South, Nigeria

The need to address tax fraud has increasingly been attracted to the state authorities’ administrators, decision-makers, scholars, and investigators in Nigeria. Although various efforts have been made to alleviate it for effective revenue generation, mobilization through taxation is still low. Consequently, this study examined Forensic Audit Services and Tax Fraud in South-South Nigeria. To this end, a cross-sectional research design with a survey research strategy was used. Copies of questionnaire, reflecting the research questions, were distributed to a sample size of 228 staff in the Nigerian Federal Inland Revenue Service in the South-South States with a target population (of 530) and a sampling error of 5% at a 95% confidence interval. To assess the study's hypotheses, the Robust Least Squares Estimation technique was used. Findings revealed that Forensic Audit Investigation Services disaggregated into Background Investigation, Investigative Interview, and Analytical Procedures exert a negative and significant effect on Tax Fraud. It was also revealed that the explanatory power of Litigation Support Services in the form of Pre-trial Support and Expert Witnessing negatively and significantly affected Tax Fraud. The implications of these findings suggest that forensic audit services mitigate the occurrence of tax fraud in Nigeria, thereby improving compliance and tax revenue generation. On the premise of the foregoing, we recommend that tax investigating agencies, such as the federal Inland Revenue Service and its counterparts in the states (all in Nigeria) should employ background investigation techniques including surveillance, undercover operations and database searches as a routine procedure to proactively search for indicators of fraud. Besides, tax officials should be well trained on the usefulness and application of analytical procedures, ranging from simple ratio analysis, data mining techniques, Bedford’s Law, and Beneish model during an investigation, to help in their audit efficiency.

Forensic Accounting and Litigation Support: The Role of Expert Witnesses in Legal Proceedings

This research examines the role of forensic accounting and litigation support in uncovering complex financial transactions and schemes used in money laundering cases in Nigeria. The study applied agency theory, developed by economists such as Jensen and Meckling, Ross, and Fama and Jensen, and used a qualitative research design, secondary sources, and content analysis to analyze the data collected. The study found that the cases of James Ibori, Darius Ishaku, and Diezani Alison-Madueke demonstrate the importance of forensic accounting and litigation support in uncovering complex financial transactions and schemes used in money laundering cases in Nigeria. The use of expert witnesses who provided forensic accounting evidence played a significant role in securing the conviction and forfeiture of assets of the defendants in these cases. Expert witnesses helped establish the existence and extent of money laundering activities, identified and traced the source and destination of laundered funds, explained complex financial transactions and schemes, demonstrated the link between defendants and their accomplices, estimated the value and location of assets acquired with laundered funds, and provided credible and reliable information that withstood cross-examination. The study also found that the expert witnesses helped educate and inform the judges or jury about forensic accounting concepts and techniques, simplified and clarified complex financial issues, enhanced the credibility and persuasiveness of the prosecution's case. The research concludes that forensic accountants must invest in investigative skills and uphold the qualities of honesty and objectivity to be effective expert witnesses in litigation support services. Furthermore, the study revealed that forensic accounting specialists can be invaluable in the collection of evidence, as they can help legal teams unearth information that might define the framework of litigation and detect fundamental issues that might not be noticeable to others.

Developing learning objectives for forensic accounting using bloom’s taxonomy

ABSTRACT This paper aims to identify and explore the learning objectives outlining the core knowledge for forensic accounting education. Bloom’s taxonomy is used to outline and analyze the core knowledge for forensic accounting education (e.g. fraud examination, litigation support, business valuation, and IT forensic accounting) in 15 Australian universities that provide forensic accounting courses. Furthermore, this paper applies a qualitative method to forensic accounting curricula, handbooks, and syllabi. These educational documents were retrieved from Australian universities. The findings report learning objectives under core content knowledge distributed over Bloom’s cognitive areas. This study also provides a unified set of learning objectives to harmonize forensic accounting courses’ teaching and learning processes. The most promising contribution of the paper is to provide a set of learning objectives in all forensic accounting subtopics. The main implications of this paper are relevant to forensic accounting educators, students, standard setters, researchers, regulators, and curricula designers.

UNCOVERING FINANCIAL FRAUD: THE ROLE OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING IN PREVENTING AND DETECTING FRAUD IN INDIA

This paper explores the role of forensic accounting in preventing and detecting financial fraud in India. The first section provides an overview of financial fraud in India, highlighting the various types and causes of financial fraud that are prevalent in the country. The second section discusses the methods of preventing financial fraud, including internal controls, anti-fraud policies, and risk assessment. The third section focuses on the methods of detecting financial fraud, such as financial statement analysis, transaction tracing, data analysis, tip-offs and whistle-blowers, and internal audits. The fourth section examines the role of forensic accounting in uncovering financial fraud in India, including litigation support, investigation, prevention, and detection. The fifth section highlights the challenges faced in forensic accounting in India, such as lack of awareness, legal framework, and professionalism. Overall, this paper aims to provide insights into the crucial role of forensic accounting in maintaining the integrity of the financial system in India.

Forensic Accounting and Financial Crimes: An Empirical Evidence from Operatives and Trainers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Academy, Nigeria

Financial crimes in the public sector continue to be on the increase despite the effort of the Nigerian government in preventing the incidence of fraud and corruption through measures, such as establishing and strengthening organs of accountability and promoting the global best corporate practices. In view of this challenges, it become necessary to examines the effect of attributes of forensic accountants– Investigation of financial Crime and Corruption Skill (ICC), Knowledge and Expertise (KE), Litigation Support Services (LSS) on the financial crime (FC) in Nigerian public sector. The study employed cross-sectional design and a survey method. of the 110 questionnaires distributed, 53 questionnaires were returned valid and analysed. The study used PLS-SEM (SmartPLS 3.0) and IBM SPSS ver. 20.0 as the primary statistical analysis tools. The results of the study confirm that Knowledge and Expertise and Support Services of a forensic accountant has a significant positive effect on Financial Crime and it shows that investigation of crime and corruption has an insignificant negative effect on financial crime. Thus, the findings revealed that the forensic accountant attributes have significantly higher levels of KE, LSS on FC concerning fraud prevention, detection, management and response. Also, investigation of corruption discourages financial crime though not on high. The implication of this study might result in the overall reduction of fraud and fraudulent acts, promote institutional, regulatory and legal framework, and create awareness amongst the accounting and auditing institutions in the Nigerian public sector.

Foreign agents or agents of justice? Private foundations, backlash against non-governmental organizations, and international human rights litigation

AbstractThe premise of Russia's 2012 “Foreign Agents” Law, one of the first such laws restricting foreign funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), is that foreign monies equal foreign agendas. Since then, over 50 countries have adopted similar laws using a similar justification. This paper interrogates this claim of foreign donor influence through examining legal mobilization by human rights NGOs at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). We track donor support for litigation by providing an overview of all foundation grant flows relating to strategic litigation for 2013–2014, and then matching the granting activities of two major U.S. foundations over 14 years to human rights NGO participation in cases before the ECtHR. Further, through case studies of Russian NGOs, we assess the causal role that donor support has played in facilitating their increased involvement in ECtHR litigation. The combined analysis indicates broad patterns of private foundation support to litigating NGOs, but uncovers no evidence that foreign donors were “pushing” NGOs toward litigation as a strategy, but instead more evidence suggesting that NGOs convinced donors to support human rights litigation. Despite the inaccuracy of the justification underpinning Russia's foreign agent law, the law threatens the survival of human rights organizations.

Forensic Audit and Mitigation of Financial Crimes in Nigeria

This study investigated the relationship between forensic audit and mitigation of financial crimes in Rivers and Bayelsa States of Nigeria. The study employed primary and secondary sources of data collection. The primary data were collected with a well-structured questionnaire with an average reliability of 0.87. The data collected were analyzed with statistical packages for social sciences using univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. The multivariate analysis revealed a positive and insignificant relationship between investigative review and safeguarding of assets misappropriation in MDAs in Nigeria; a positive and insignificant relationship between investigative review and control of occupational fraud in MDAs in Nigeria; a positive and insignificant relationship between investigative review and control of payroll fraud in MDAs in Nigeria; a positive and insignificant relationship between litigation support services and safeguarding of assets misappropriation in MDAs in Nigeria; a positive and insignificant relationship between litigation support services and control of occupational fraud in MDAs in Nigeria; and a positive and insignificant relationship between litigation support services and control of payroll fraud in MDAs in Nigeria. The study concluded that forensic audit mitigates financial fraud in Nigeria. On the basis of the conclusion, the following recommendations were made: Ministries, department and agencies should formulate others means of investigating financial crimes rather than proactive forensic audit because this study’s finding indicated proactive forensic audit has negative and insignificant relationship with the measures of financial crimes; forensic audit practitioners in Nigeria should be aware that investigative review as technique of forensic audit has positive association with the measures of financial crimes. Hence, they should employ more investigative review when carrying out the forensic auditing process; forensic auditors should also apply litigation support services as a method of forensic audit in carrying out financial crimes investigation in government establishments because the results showed that litigation support has positive influence in mitigating financial crime amongst others.

APPLICATION OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING SKILLS AND FRAUD DETECTION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR IN NIGERIA

his study investigated the relationship between forensic accounting skills and fraud detection in Nigeria’s public sector. It employs a cross-sectional field survey with a sample of 44 out of 47 audit firms that employ forensic skills when auditing MDAs in Plateau state. Data was collected via structured questionnaires, and hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regression. Results indicated that persuasive and investigative skills have significant relationship with fraud detection, while no significant positive relationship was found with litigation support. The study recommends enhancing auditor and investigator skills through training and development programs to improve fraud detection in the public sector.

Book Review

Book Review

The challenges for forensic accouting profession in Vietnam

Around the world, forensic accounting (FA) has become a popular profession to help prevent and reduce financial fraud with functions primarily including fraud investigation, litigation support, complaints, and witness. However, in Vietnam, forensic accounting is still quite strange in both the field of research as well as professional practice. The reason is that the level of interest and understanding of forensic accounting is still limited. The research data includes (i) the current accounting-auditing training program framework of 45 universities in Vietnam (ii) studies on forensic accounting, and (iii) service activities provided by accounting firms in Vietnam. Research results indicate that (i) there are gaps in research on forensic accounting; (ii) there exist conditions indicating the need for forensic accounting development in Vietnam. Accordingly, the study provides two key policy suggestions to promote the development of forensic accounting in Vietnam, starting from (i) overcoming the challenges facing the forensic accounting profession by promulgating regulations and guidelines guide forensic accounting based on the benefits that this profession contributes to society, and (ii) an initial approach is needed to integrate forensic accounting modules in the accounting and auditing training programs of universities in Vietnam.

Assessing, grading, and reporting intraoperative adverse events during and after surgery.

Intraoperative adverse events (iAEs) are under-reported, have poorly standardized nomenclature, and are plagued by barriers to reporting and cultural acceptance. Not surprisingly, although surgeons are willing to report iAEs, they often under-report these events, especially those of lower severity, owing to perceived clinical insignificance1. Attempts to overcome reporting deficits with surgical black-box systems, otherwise known as medical data recorders, have continued to receive pushback despite the potential benefits for quality improvement2,3. Until these systems gain further traction, integration of iAE reporting into the sign-out portion of the WHO safety checklist might be a useful aide-memoire4,5. Barriers to reporting, such as institutional, emotional, and litigious concerns, remain challenging to overcome6. Further, the intransigent blame culture continues to detract from a universally shared goal of improved patient safety6. The, regrettably, common lack of institutional support for litigation concerns, and an absence of clear definitions of what should be reported and how to report, might be surmountable with improved awareness of available resources. There are several iAE classification systems available, including, but not limited to: Modified Satava, the iAE severity classification system (Massachusetts General Hospital), the European Association of Surgical Endoscopy classification7,8, intraoperative adverse incident classification (European Association of Urology)9, and the classification of intraoperative adverse events (ClassIntra®)10. These systems are universally available and can be used to clearly delineate what constitutes an iAE. However, with the exception of ClassIntra®, many of these systems have yet to be validated and are known to have high inter-rater variability10–13. In the absence of a single best system, a vital first step is to record and grade iAEs prospectively, regardless of which system is chosen, so that we can move on to understanding the real-world implications of iAEs. Although these classification systems are useful for grading iAEs, they stop short of providing guidelines for reporting in publications or daily practice.

Forensic Accounting vs Fraud examination: Roles, Importance and Differences

Abstract Fraud has existed throughout history. Yet, it is estimated that today's occurrence has a huge impact on global revenues, highlighting the importance of fraud examination and forensic accounting. Although the roles of the two disciplines appear to be similar (e.g. litigation support), they differ significantly in their objectives, with the goal of fraud auditing being to determine whether fraud has occurred and, if so, who is responsible. Forensic accounting has the additional objective of assessing the financial consequences and determining whether the allegations have a factual basis by analyzing the financial evidence.

Research on Multiattribute Comprehensive Evaluation of Intelligent Judicial Decision System

When dealing with cases, judges must consult a large number of relevant materials and carefully consider before they can write the final judgment. So, we want to use intelligent systems to assist the judicial system in handling cases. The essence of the system is automatic text classification. The system can predict the judgment result according to the previous prediction and can also provide support for judicial judgment and individual litigation. Because the evaluation of intelligent judicial decision-making system has the characteristics of complexity and fuzziness, we establish a comprehensive evaluation model of intelligent judicial decision-making system with subjective and objective combination by introducing the TOPSIS model. In the experiment, firstly, we use nine multiattribute comprehensive evaluation index systems such as acquisition cost and use cost to grade the indexes. Secondly, AHP and entropy weight methods are used to calculate the subjective weight and objective weight of the index, respectively; the combined weight of the index is determined according to the expert forced scoring method, the attribute measurement function of a single index is constructed according to the classification of the index, the comprehensive attribute measurement is calculated, and the comprehensive evaluation grade is judged according to the attribute identification standard. Finally, taking the intelligent judicial decision-making system as the research object, combined with the system report and expert score, this paper makes a multiattribute comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the intelligent judicial decision-making system and analyzes the results. The final experimental results show that the evaluation results of the model are reasonable and consistent with the actual situation, which verifies the adaptability of the combined weighted attribute recognition model in the multiattribute comprehensive evaluation of intelligent judicial judgment system. This result provides ideas and theoretical follow-up work for the intelligent judgment of judicial cases and has certain significance for the development of the field of judicial judgment.