Role of Forensic Accounting in Fraud Detection and Legal Proceedings

Authors(1) :-Dr. Sanjeev Pal Singh

Forensic accounting is essential in fraud detection, employing specialized accounting as well as investigative methods to evaluate financial data, identify anomalies, and reveal fraudulent activities. It ultimately provides vital evidence for legal proceedings, supporting litigation efforts and demonstrating wrongdoing in court. Essentially, it connects accounting proficiency with legal standards to successfully present financial inconsistencies as actionable evidence. The escalating intricacies of company and commercial activities, coupled with financial irregularities and an excessive fixation on profit maximization, when taken to extremes, can result in failures such as SATYAM, ENRON, and WORLDCOM, which have profoundly detrimental effects on the continued existence and development of any economic entity. No standard accounting and auditing techniques can guarantee total assurance in preventing and discovering all instances of fraudulent financial reporting. The concept of forensic accounting is gaining prominence in India due to a rampant increase in corporate fraud, financial reporting irregularities, and other white-collar crimes. Forensic accounting has emerged as a novel and effective tool for accountants to detect errors and misconduct inside the accounting sector. Forensic accounting identifies and mitigates corporate fraud and scams. Forensic accounting has lately gained prominence in India due to the significant increase in white-collar crimes & the perception that law enforcement agencies lack the proficiency to detect fraud. This paper primarily focuses on the corporate framework, various rules, and the utilization of forensic accounting techniques in the investigation of corporate frauds and scams in India. This research is exploratory and theoretical, aiming to elucidate the scope and methodology of forensic accounting against the backdrop of increasing corporate fraud in India.

Authors and Affiliations

Dr. Sanjeev Pal Singh
Associate Professor, Faculty of Commerce, R.B.S. College, Agra

Forensic Accounting, Financial Fraud, Corporate Fraud, White-Collar Crime.

  1. Abdullahi, R. & Mansor, N., 2018. Fraud prevention initiatives in the Nigerian public sector. Journal of Financial Crime, 25(2), pp. 527-544.
  2. Aithal, S. & Aithal, S., 2916. Scholarly Publishing: with Top Ranking Journals/ Publishers. ResearchGate. Alshurafat, H., Beattie, C., Jones, G. & Sands, J., 2020. Perceptions of the usefulness of various teaching methods in forensic accounting education. Accounting Education, 29(2), pp. 177-204.
  3. Aquilani, B., Silvestri, C., Ruggieri, A. & Gatti, C., 2017. A systematic literature review on total quality management critical success factors and the identification of new avenues of research. The TQM Journal, pp. 184-213.
  4. Arens, A. &Loebbecke, J., 1996. Auditing: An Integrated Approach. In: Englewood Cliffs: s.n.
  5. Bhasin, M., 2007. Forensic Accounting: A New Paradigm For Niche Consulting. ResearchGate.
  6. Botes, V. & Saadeh, A., 2018. Exploring evidence to develop a nomenclature for forensic accounting. Pacific Accounting Review, 30(2), pp. 135-154.
  7. Buckhoff, T., Schrader, R. (2000). The Teaching of Forensic Accounting in the United States. Journal of Forensic Accounting, V. 1, p. 135.
  8. Carnes and Gierlasinski, 2001. Forensic accounting skills: will supply finally catch up to demand? Forensic accounting skills: will supply finally catch up to demand?.
  9. Chattopadhyay, P. (2014). A theoretical construct of forensic accounting and auditing. The Management Accountant Journal, 49(9), 22-28.
  10. Chew, B. L. (Ed.). (2017). Forensic Accounting and Finance: Principles and Practice. Kogan Page Publishers.Forensic accounting a multidisciplinary approach to investigation frauds and scams. International journal of Multidisciplinary Approach and Studies –
  11. Das Santanu Kumar, A tool of Detecting White Collar Crimes in Corporate World.” Indian Journal of Research 2012. P.No 1 to 3
  12. Dhami, S. (2015). Forensic Accounting: Signaling Practicing AccountantsTo Improve Skill set And Forming Regulatory Body for Forensic Accountants in India. Global Journal for Research Analysis International. 4 (5).
  13. Dr.Mehta G.S.and MathurTarun, Preventing Financial Fraud Through,, Forensic Accounting‟, The Chartered Accountant, April 2007, pp 1575-1580.
  14. Enofe, A. O., Okpako, P. O., &Atube, E. N. (2013). The impact of forensic accounting on fraud detection. European Journal of Business and Management, 5(26), 61-72. 8. Golden, T. W. (2011). A guide to forensic accounting investigation. John Wiley & Sons.
  15. Evaluation of Fraud Examinations: A Contingent Approach to Private Internal Investigations. Advance Access publication, 13(4), pp. 386- 396. Grubb, F., 2015.
  16. Fink, A., 2005. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. Sage.
  17. Free, C., 2015. Looking through the fraud triangle: a review and call for new directions. Meditari Accountancy Research, 28(1), pp. 175-196.
  18. Grubb, F., 2017. Colonial Virginia's paper money regime, 1755–74: A forensic accounting reconstruction of the data. Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, 50(2), pp. 96-112.
  19. Gupta Sc Shankar Girish,Giridhar A(2007) “ Report of the Technical Group Set up to Review Legislations on Money Lending Reserve Bank of India.”
  20. Harris, C.K., Brown, A.M. ( 2000). The Qualities of Accountant. Pennsylvania CPA Journal, 71(1): 6-8. [8] Satyanarayan, T. (2005). Forensic Accounting and Corporate III. The Chartered Accountant, Vol.53, No.8.
  21. Hasan, M. S., Omar, N., Barnes, P. &Schachler, M. H., 2017. A cross-country study on manipulations in financial statements of listed companies Evidence from Asia. Journal of Financial Crime, 24(4), pp. 656-677.
  22. Hopwood, W. S., Leiner, J. & Young, G. R., 2008. In: Forensic Accounting. NewYork: s.n. Howieson, B., 2018. What is the ‘good’ forensic accountant? A virtue ethics perspective. Pacific Accounting Review, 30(2), pp. 155-167.
  23. Kayani, U. N. & Gan, T. A. D. S. a. C., 2019. A systematic literature review on working capital management – an identification of new avenues. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 11(3), pp. 352-366.
  24. Manas, C. (2014). Problems and prospects of forensic accounting profession in India. International Journal of Informative and Futuristic Research, 2(1), 1-9.
  25. Peshori K. S (2015);International Journal of Engineering Technology Science and research (IJETSR)- Mrs. Ritika Bajaj Waghray
  26. Singleton T, Singleton A, Bologna J, Lindquist RJ (2006) Fraud auditing and forensic accounting, 3rd edn.Wiley, Toronto,ON
  27. Stone, D. N., & Miller, T. C. (2012). The State Of, and Prospects For, Forensic and FraudResearch that Matters. Journal of Forensic & Investigative Accounting, 4(2).
  28. Wells, J. (2003). The Fraud Examiners. Journal of Accountancy, 196: 76.

Publication Details

Published in : Volume 3 | Issue 2 | March-April 2020
Date of Publication : 2020-03-30
License:  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Page(s) : 176-186
Manuscript Number : SHISRRJ2033458
Publisher : Shauryam Research Institute

ISSN : 2581-6306

Cite This Article :

Dr. Sanjeev Pal Singh , "Role of Forensic Accounting in Fraud Detection and Legal Proceedings", Shodhshauryam, International Scientific Refereed Research Journal (SHISRRJ), ISSN : 2581-6306, Volume 3, Issue 2, pp.176-186, March-April.2020
URL : https://shisrrj.com/SHISRRJ2033458

Article Preview