APES 215:

Forensic Accounting Servi ces Fact Sheet

Objective
APES 215 Forensic Accounting Services (the Standard) sets out mandatory requirements and guidance for members who
provide forensic accounting services.

Scope and application
APES 215, which took effect on 1

J uly 2009, requires members in Australia to adhere to its mandatory requirements when
they perform forensic accounting services. Members outside of Australia must follow the mandatory requirements of
APES 215 unless they are prevented from doing so by local laws and/or regulations.

There may be instances where professional services, when commenced, are not forensic accounting services but later
become such services. The requirements of the Standard must be followed from the time a service becomes a forensic
accounting service. Similarly, a forensic accounting service that is not an expert witness service may later become an
expert witness service. When this occurs the requirements of the expert witness service of the Standard must be applied
from that time onwards.

Fundamental responsibili ties of members
APES 215 requires members to observe and comply with their public interest obligations when they provide forensic
accounting services. The Standard also reminds members of their professional obligations established in accordance with
APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants in respect of:

Section 100 Introduction and Fundamental Principles
Section 110 Integrity
Section 120 Objectivity
Section 130 Professional Competence and Due Care
Section 140 - Confidentiality
Section 220 Conflict of Interest
Section 280 Objectivity All Services.

APES 215 imposes an obligation to members to comply with the independence definition when they provide forensic
accounting services that require independence or when they purport to be independent.

Expert witness service
APES 215 imposes mandatory obligations on members who provide expert witness services. It also requires members
who provide expert witness services, subject to any legal requirements or restrictions, to communicate a number of
elements in a report.

APES 215 reminds members that in providing an expert witness service their paramount duty is to the Court and that they
need to assist the Court in an objective and unbiased manner. A member has an obligation to make it clear to the Court
when a matter falls outside the members expertise and has a duty not to be an advocate for a party.














APES 215:
Forensic Accounting Servi ces Fact Sheet






The information that a member needs to communicate in an expert witness report is a mandatory requirement of the
Standard, and includes among other elements:
oral or written instructions received
limitation on the scope of work performed
the members educational and professional background that are relevant to the matter of the expert witness
service
any relationships the member or the members firm or the members employer has with any of the parties to the
proceedings that may compromise independence, the paramount duty to the court and any other safeguards
implemented
a list of all supporting documentations in preparing the expert witness report
any restrictions on the use of the report
a statement that the expert witness service was conducted in accordance with the Standard.

Refer to the Standard for information concerning:
definitions
professional competence and due care
confidentiality
professional engagement matters
false or misleading information and changes in opinion
quality control
professional fees
use of the terms facts, assumptions and opinions



Disclaimer
The above material is only general in nature and not intended to be specific to the readers circumstances. The material does not relieve you of your
obligation, as a member of CPA Australia, to ensure that you comply with professional standards. To keep up-to-date members should visit the APESB
website at apesb.org.au.

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Issued November 2012