JOINT AUDIT :
Meaning of Joint Audit: when two or more auditors are appointed for the execution of same audit assignment, it is termed as joint audit. Joint auditors are mainly appointed for audit assignment of public enterprises and big companies.
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has issued SA 299 on “Responsibility of Joint Auditors” w.e.f.
April, 1996. Basic principles governing a joint audit are discussed herein given below
Division of Work – Where joint auditors are appointed, they should, by mutual discussion, divide the audit work among themselves in terms of audit of identifiable units or specified areas. If due to the nature of the business of the entity under audit, such a division of work may not be possible the division of work may be with reference to items of assets or liabilities or income or expenditure or with reference to periods of time. The division of work
among joint auditors as well as the areas of work to be covered by all of them should be adequately documented
and preferably communicated to the entity.
Coordination – Where, in the course of his work, a joint auditor comes across matters which are relevant to the areas of responsibility of other joint auditors and which deserve their attention, or which require disclosure or require discussion with, or application of judgement by, other joint auditors, he should communicate the same to all the other joint auditors in writing. Thus should be done by the submission of a report or note prior to the finalisation of the audit.
Relationship among joint auditors – In respect of audit work divided among the joint auditors, each joint auditor is responsible only for the work allocated to him, whether or not he has prepared as separate report on the work performed by him. On the other hand, all the joint auditors are jointly and severally responsible:
(a) In respect of the audit work which is not divided among the joint auditors and is carried out by all of them;
(b) In respect of decisions taken by all the joint auditors concerning the nature, timing or extent of the audit procedures to be performed by any of the joint auditors. It may, however, be clarified that all the joint auditors are responsible only in respect of the appropriateness of the decisions concerning the nature, timing or extent of the audit procedures agreed upon among them; proper execution of these audit procedures is the separate and specific responsibility of the joint auditor concerned;
(c) In respect of matters which are brought to the notice of the joint auditors by any one of them and on which there is an agreement among the joint auditors;
(d) For examining that the financial statements of the entity comply with the disclosure requirements of the relevant statute; and
(e) For ensuring that the audit report complies with the requirements of the relevant statute.
If any matters of the nature referred above are brought to the attention of the entity or other joint auditors by an auditor after the audit report has been submitted, the other joint auditors would not be responsible for those matters. Subject to paragraph (b) above, it is the responsibility of each joint auditor to determine the nature, timing and extent of audit procedures to be applied in relation to the area of work allocated to him; The issues such as appropriateness of using test checks or sampling should be decided by each joint auditor in relation to his own area of work. This responsibility is not shared by the other joint auditors.
Thus, it is the separate and specific responsibility of each joint auditor to study and evaluate the prevailing system of internal control relating to the work allocated to him. Similarly, the nature, timing and extent of the enquiries to be made in the course of audit as well as the other audit procedures to be applied are solely the responsibility of each joint auditor. In the case of audit of a large entity with several branches, including those required to be audited by branch auditors, the branch audit reports/returns may be required to be scrutinised by different joint auditors in accordance with the allocation of work. In such cases, it is the specific and separate responsibility of each joint auditor to review the audit reports/returns of the divisions/branches allocated to him and to ensure that they are properly incorporated into the accounts of the entity. In respect of the branches which do not fall within any divisions or zones which are separately assigned to the various joint auditors, they may agree among themselves as regards the division of work relating to the review of such branch returns. It is also the separate and specific responsibility of each joint auditor to exercise his judgement with regard to the necessity of visiting such divisions/branches in respect of which the work is allocated to him. A significant part of the audit work involves obtaining and evaluating information and explanations from the management. This responsibility is shared by all the joint auditors unless they agree upon a specific pattern of distribution of this responsibility. In cases where specific responsibility of each joint auditor to obtain appropriate information and explanations from the management in respect of such divisions/zones/units and to evaluate the information and explanations so obtained by him.
Each joint auditor is entitled to assume that the other joint auditors have carried out their part of the audit work in accordance with the generally accepted audit procedures. It is not necessary for a joint auditor to review the work performed by other joint auditors or perform any tests in order to ascertain whether the work has actually been performed in such a manner. Each joint auditor is entitled to rely upon the other joint auditors for bringing to his notice accounting principles or any material error noticed in the course of the audit. Where separate financial statements of a division/branch are audited by one of the joint auditors, the other joint auditors are entitled to proceed on the basis that such financial statements comply with all the legal and professional requirements regarding the disclosures to be made and present a true and fair view of the state of affairs and of the working results of the division/branch concerned, subject to such observations as may be communicated by the joint auditor concerned.
Reporting Responsibilities – Normally, the joint auditors are able to arrive at an agreed report. However, where the joint auditors are in disagreement with regard to any matters to be covered by the report, each one of them should express his own opinion through a separate report. A joint auditor is not bound by the view of the majority of the joint auditors regarding matters to be covered in the report and should express his opinion in a separate report in case of a disagreement. For the purpose of computation of the number of company audits held by an auditor pursuant to the ceiling rule introduced in the Companies Act, 1956 each joint auditor ship in a company will be counted as one unit