A forensic accountant
expert is a person who has specialized knowledge in the area based on the
person’s training, study or experience.
An expert witness may be expected, or required, to give an opinion and
draw conclusions based on the facts.
When acting as a forensic
witness, high standards of performance are required. It is imperative that an expert witness
ensure they have collected and assessed all relevant facts and information from
the lawyer and client. Particularly when
dealing with the lawyer and client, great care should be taken to avoid the
possibility of being influenced to provide an opinion which is more favorable
to the client than can be justified on the known facts. The expert witness’ role is to serve the court
and therefore must ensure the truth is unveiled. If by some chance the expert witness is
dishonest, it will undermine the experts’ credibility and diminish the value of
their opinion (Hoffman, Finney, Cox & Cooper, 2013).
In
order to avoid being discredited in court through showing partisan, the forensic
accounting expert should ensure that all facts have been considered and
analysed, and report the truth of the case.
References
Hoffman,
R., Finney, W., Cox, P. & Cooper, K. (2013). The
Accountant as an Expert Witness: A basic guide to forensic accounting (2nd
ed.). CCH Australia Limited.
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