Forensics

As the economic downturn intensifies, the possibility of disputes and other difficulties arises more frequently. And when rules are broken—unintentionally or otherwise—organisations are exposed to risks and problems that they are often not used to dealing with, from fraud and abuse to errors and differences in understanding. Whether these challenges involve dealing across borders with customers, joint venture partners, and foreign governments, or whether they are localised to your own country, they may involve different business cultures and legal systems, as well as unfamiliar regulatory and accountability requirements. Every organisation is vulnerable. The risk is real and worrisome.

If this is your situation:

• You need an independent evaluation of loss and damage arising from a breach of contract or tort.
• You are involved in litigation or (international) arbitration and require an expert witness.
• You need to investigate and analyse a claim in a country using local knowledge of business/accounting practice.
• Your organisation has suffered fraud.
• Your organisation is facing bribery & corruption claims or there is a suspicion of accounting manipulation, or inappropriate/inadequate disclosure.
• You are subject to an investigation by the SEC or the DoJ in the United States or you face shareholder class action.
• You want to ensure that you are in compliance with anti-money laundering and other financial crime regulations.
• There are concerns about the effectiveness of anti-fraud programmes, controls over financial reporting.
• You have a major insurance claim to deal with.
• You want to make sure that your royalty income is correct and to audit your licensing contracts.

How PwC can help you

Whatever the complexity or urgency of the situation your organisation faces, PwC’s forensics practice can provide seasoned support and solutions. We combine forensic accounting and investigative skills to organisations (and their lawyers) that are facing issues with financial and legal implications, to help to make intelligent, informed decisions whether in the boardroom or the courtroom.

The services we provide include:

Dispute support services

We provide financial, economic and business services to both lawyers and corporate clients globally who are involved in litigation, arbitration, and other alternative dispute resolution forums. Our experienced professionals can offer assistance with early case assessment, class certification, discovery assistance, quantification of exposure, claim preparation, and rebuttal and expert witness testimony. Whatever the situation, from breach of contract or warranty to income losses from torts, we are here to help. We offer specialised services with:

• General commercial disputes
• Transaction-related disputes
• Intellectual property disputes
• Antitrust/competition disputes
• Environmental disputes
• Capital project disputes
• Government contract disputes

Forensic accounting and analysis

Companies often face a variety of challenges in implementing their strategic visions, executing or defending their business models or unlocking the latent value and potential of information. Supported by our state-of-the-art forensic technology tools, we can provide a clear evaluation of the problem or opportunity, options for approaching them and action plans to achieve the optimal outcome. We assist clients in protecting and maximising the value of their intellectual property by examining compliance with licensing agreements. And we provide experienced advice on managing insurance risks and claims, in areas including:

• Business analytics
• Licensing management services
• Insurance claims services

Investigations

Dealing with suspicions of white-collar crime requires much more than simple know-how. It requires speed, sensitivity and discretion. It also requires an in-depth knowledge of the legal and regulatory frameworks in each jurisdiction. We understand the importance of reacting quickly and confidentially to a crisis situation. We appreciate the need to stop illegal activity, safeguard your company's assets and reputation, prevent recurrences, and arrive at a resolution—with as little disruption as possible to the regular flow of business. Areas of specialism include:

• Anti-money laundering
• Asset misappropriation
• Corruption & bribery
• Financial misrepresentation
• SEC & regulatory investigations

Forensic technology solutions

Our team of technologists works with accountants and finance professionals to provide a unique approaches to complex business matters. Bringing together data analysis techniques with proprietary soft- and hardware and by using advanced investigative techniques, we can identify, seize and analyse information (and secure evidence) located on a computer system or other storage media.