The Growing Relevance of Forensic Accounting as a Tool For Combating Fraud and Corruption: Nigeria Experience

Abstract

The relevance of Forensic accounting has been of growing interest to various stakeholders that include the government, investors, practitioners and to regulatory bodies. While corporate failures like the often cited Enron and WorldCom cases have globally brought forensic accounting  to the limelight, the growing relevance of forensic accounting is largely derived from the ever growing spates of fraud and  official corruption that constitute the greatest threat to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. This exploratory study  portrays the current views of Nigerian accounting practitioners and academics on the current development and relevance of forensic accounting in Nigeria. Their views were obtained through structured interviews and evaluated against known research findings on the practice of forensic accounting in Nigeria. The key findings of this study are that: Forensic accounting practice is largely considered to be at its infancy stage and lacking statutory support, and that although its relevance in unraveling complex official corruption is on the increase in Nigeria, it nevertheless has no statutory backing  and has no significant impact against corruption, fraud and financial crime in Nigeria. The study recommends among others the need to accord forensic accounting statutory role and distinct professional recognition by the government and professional bodies in Nigeria.

Key Words: Forensic accounting; Corporate failures; Official corruption, Corporate fraud; Financial crime