Forensic accounting is the use of accounting and audit tools in the context of a dispute or a suspicion: examining books, documents and bank movements to establish what actually happened, and setting out the result in a written report fit to be submitted to a court, an investigating body, or a board.
We provide this service from our Riyadh office as chartered accountants licensed by the Saudi Organization for Chartered and Professional Accountants, along two tracks: embezzlement and financial misconduct reports, and litigation support reports.
When you need a forensic accountant
- Indicators of embezzlement or manipulation have appeared in the company’s books and you need an independent examination before taking any step.
- You are a party to a commercial dispute before a court and the matter in dispute is, at its core, numerical (partner accounts, liquidation, claims, contracts).
- The court or the competent body has asked you for an accounting expert’s report.
- You need to trace funds that left the company and establish where they went, from the statements and documents.
- You want to size the financial loss before filing, or while negotiating a settlement.
Our services in this area
Fraud and Misconduct Reports — examining financial manipulation inside the company and documenting what the documentary evidence supports.
Litigation Support Reports — preparing financial reports for cases before the judicial authorities.
What makes a report usable before a court
- Its documents are numbered and tied to its findings — every figure in the report traces back to its source document.
- It separates fact from opinion — what the documents establish is one thing; what the accountant concludes is another, and each is written separately.
- It states its scope and limits — what was examined, what was not, and how that bears on the conclusion.
- It can be reviewed by another party — an opposing expert can retrace the same path and arrive at the same figures.
Practical guides
- Suspect Embezzlement in Your Business? The First Steps Before the Evidence Disappears
- The Embezzlement and Financial Manipulation Report: How It Is Examined and How It Is Proven
- Tracing Funds in Embezzlement and Breach of Trust Cases: A Practical Methodology and Sources of Evidence
- The Accounting Expert’s Report Before the Commercial Court: Components and Grounds for Challenge
How we start
We begin by defining the scope of the examination in writing: what is to be proven or disproven, which documents are available, and which period is under examination. Defining the scope early is what determines the cost and duration of the work, and prevents the report from drifting beyond the purpose it was prepared for.
Contact us to discuss your situation, or see our chartered accountants in Riyadh and the full list of our services.