Page 33 - Internal Auditor Middle East - December 2017

Frosting fundemantals

By: Slobodan Dimitrovski Edited By: Gauatam Gandi
Auditocalypse now?

Social media today… A large consultancy fraud triangle, but someone is hoping to Hmm… Interesting, I thought to myself.
publishes a report regarding internal audit cash in on it… Let me google this company. ABC is owned
– sharks sense blood, and start circling Bear with me for the next three paragraphs, by DEF. Let’s google DEF… Turns out they
around the profession. They have even I will depart from this discussion to make have paid hundreds of millions of dollars
prepared their writings for our gravestone a point. to settle out of court and close various
as a profession, it seems. And everyone claims and legal suits against them. Cases
has the solution for “fixing” internal audit. I remember a published article which for misleading the public right there in the
There is a catch, though, they will charge stated that there is no connection media.
you for the problem they believe you have. between the vaccinations, and autism in So, I think to myself: “Would I trust this
children. The article was used to promote
But are we really done as a profession? vaccination and debunk the fears over company, with its history?”, DEF has
Are we even in a crisis? There is, after the practice. As I know people whose everything to gain by a positive report, and
all, a global internal audit body that can children have developed autism following the professionals doing the report are on
measure these metrics for us. And it would the vaccine in question. I decided to click their payroll (via ABC, smart move). They
not charge us for it. As all professions, we on the link and read the full report. It was have been fined for misleading the public
evolve, we adapt, but we are far from over. already. Has anything changed now? What
a long report, but I had the spare time, about the people I know, who suffer the
A wise man once told me – follow the and read it through. Near the bottom – an consequences? Why would they lie to me?
money. Who has what to gain by what is objectivity/conflict of interest statement. And what are they for DEF? A statistical
going on now? What is the motive in this “The doctors x,y and z work for the ABC error somewhere in the data, probably.
triangle? I would not go as far to call it the pharmaceutical company”. But even if 1% suffer, does that make it

DECEMBER 2017 INTERNAL AUDITOR - MIDDLE EAST 31