The President of the Institute of the Internal Auditors (IIA), Ghana Richard Ntim has disclosed that auditors in the country are most often pressurized by state agencies and private institutions to change their findings when rots are uncovered.
According to him, most of the members have complained of the growing trend of the act aimed at concealing wrongdoing.
He noted that this is the biggest challenge auditors’ in the country face.
“The challenge that auditors face in the first place is a threat to independence. Workers would have wished that once you have finished discussions with them, why not drop it from your report. So we have challenges .Our members complain,” he said.
“The auditor is expected to be seen to be very independent, unbiased and in giving his opinion not to be influenced by anyone,” he added.
He explained that auditors are obliged to work under code of ethics and strict rules in reporting deviations and wrongdoings in institutions.
“However in most cases when you highlight those deviations, people don’t want you to report them. But as auditors, we have to be independent as possible without such influence so that we can report fairly,” he observed.
Mr. Ntim, told Citi Business News that workers who are implicated in auditors work must be punished by the law to encourage auditors to do their work without fear.
He spoke to Citi Business News at the sidelines of the 4th African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors International Conference in Accra.
The conference was on the theme “Insight to Foresight, the New Imperative for Internal Audit and Governance.”
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By: Jessica Ayorkor Aryee/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
