Investigations

Bringing facts to light through objective investigations

Corporate crime poses a real and substantial threat to business sustainability: undetected and unchecked, it can create costly long-term problems. As a result, moving assertively to prevent or counter illegal activities is critical.

Fraud and theft involving anything from intellectual property to inventory, from cyber crime to corruption, can result in widespread problems to your organisation. The bottom line will often be affected, but your market reputation and employee morale can also take a hit. Every organisation is vulnerable. Risk does not discern based on an organisation’s size, geography, industry or scope.

We provide a robust investigative approach to assist our clients in establishing the facts and making recoveries. We can identify the root causes of discrepancies, allegations and other irregularities by assembling and securing evidence. We provide the public and private sectors with investigations of allegations and other irregularities, including:

corporate irregularities
whistle-blower allegations
asset misappropriation
regulatory violations
improper business relationships
patent and copyright infringement
financial reporting fraud
suspicious transactions
conflicts of interest
bribery and corruption

We solve important problems for our clients by:

Establish the key facts of any given situation and deliver findings and evidence in a manner that allows the implementation of recovery and remedial action. We help you to manage the interests of third parties, whether they are customers or suppliers, regulators or law enforcement agencies.

Understand the facts in context. By drawing upon our deep technical and industry knowledge we are able to quantify potential issues, help you consider the wider implications of any misappropriation, theft or financial crime and provide practical support and advice in developing a strategic response.

Any stakeholder to the business may have an interest in the outcome of an investigation. Whether dealing with law enforcement agencies, regulators or other parties we are able to assist in managing your position and the preparation of your case. Should remediation be required, we bring expertise from across our firm to assist in changing and strengthening processes and controls.

Some of the triggers in your organisation

Internal audit reports indicate discrepancies/concerns
Unexpected financial losses
Write-offs or failure to collect receivables or loans when due
Financial collapse of a business partner (supplier, joint venture)
Tips from whistle-blower hotlines have been received

Value we deliver

Greater agility and faster access to key facts by applying data-driven approaches and tools to mine documents and records
Depth of investigator experience as it relates to fraud
Access to sector, technology, accounting and tax expertise
Insight into current developments in fraud, regulation and economic crime

Contact us

Trevor Hills

Partner , PwC South Africa

Tel: +27 (0)11 797 5526