Internal auditors charged to help fight corruption

Mr Wilfred Neneh Addico, an expert in forensic investigation, has called on internal auditors in the public service to embrace skills that will enable them to discharge their duties effectively and help fight fraud and corruption. Mr Addico made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency () on the sidelines of a Forensic Investigation Training workshop, organized by Makers and Partners, a chartered accountancy firm licensed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana. The workshop, which was attended by about 25 internal auditors of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), aimed at sharing insights and expertise to equip the Internal Auditors with requisite skills for forensic investigation to safeguard MoFA from internal threats, such as fraud, misconduct, and abuse. Mr Addico, who facilitated the event, told that from the discussions, he observed that usually fraud incidents come to the MoFA Internal Audit Function by referrals from management. He proposed that if the Internal Audit Function were to be effective in carrying out investigations, the mandate for forensic investigation should be embedded into their Audit Charter, which would provide the power, support, and guidelines for effective fraud risk management. Mr Addico said an amended Charter that catered for fraud risk management would make room for a mandate to develop and maintain a dedicated forensic investigation unit and guided collaboration with other state institutions with a mandate for investigating fraud within the public sector. He said the forensic investigation started with good planning taking almost 50 per cent of the work which ensured that the objectives of the investigation were realized.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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