5 You are an audit manager in Bartolome, a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants. You ha

Question

5 You are an audit manager in Bartolome, a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants. You have specific responsibility

for undertaking annual reviews of existing clients and advising whether an engagement can be properly continued.

The following matters have arisen in connection with recent assignments:

(a) Leon Dormido is the senior in charge of the audit of the financial statements of Moreno, a limited liability

company, for the year ending 30 June 2005. Moreno’s Chief Executive Officer, James Bay, has just sent you an

e-mail to advise you that Leon has been short-listed for the position of Finance Director. You were not previously

aware that Leon had applied for the position. (5 marks)

Required:

Comment on the ethical and other professional issues raised by each of the above matters and their implications,

if any, for the continuation of each assignment.

NOTE: The mark allocation is shown against each of the three issues.

Answer 1

正确答案：
5 BARTOLOME
(a) Senior audit staff leaving for employment with client
Ethical and professional issues
■ Leon’s independence is in doubt as he is threatened by self-interest. Leon’s objectivity in relation to the audit may be
influenced by a desire to please and impress Moreno, as a prospective employer.
■ There appears to be a lack of integrity on the part of James and/or Leon:
? Leon should have confided in an appropriately senior manager/partner of Bartolome. In not doing so he has
compromised the firm by having applied for a position with a client whilst assigned to the client.
? James may lack integrity in having advised Bartolome of the short-listing if he gave an undertaking to Leon not to
do so. (Conversely, James may be acting with integrity in advising Bartolome and as a matter of professional
courtesy.)
■ Leon should be removed from the audit assignment immediately regardless of whether or not he is finally appointed by
Moreno.
■ Leon should be given an oral warning (assuming this to be a first offence) for failing to adhere to Bartolome’s quality
control policies and procedures (requiring disclosure to the firm of any threat of involvement with an audit client).
■ The working papers for all interim audit work relating to Moreno performed under the supervision of Leon should be
reviewed as soon as possible, before the balance sheet date (at the end of the month).
Implications for continuation with assignment
The assignment can be properly continued with a new senior in charge of the audit of the financial statements for the year
ending 30 June 2005. Any planning of the year end and final audit work by Leon should be reviewed, amended as necessary
and approved before any further work is undertaken.