| Statements of Auditing Standards (SASs) are to be read in the light of SAS 010 "The scope and authority
of auditing pronouncements". In particular, they contain basic principles and essential procedures, (auditing
standards), indicated by paragraphs in bold italic type, with which auditors are required
to comply in the conduct of any audit including those of companies applying section 141D of the Companies Ordinance.
SASs also include explanatory and other material which is designed to assist auditors in interpreting and applying
auditing standards. |
| |
|
|
| Introduction |
| |
| 1. |
The purpose of this Statement of Auditing Standards (SAS) is to establish standards and provide guidance on the
auditors' responsibilities and audit procedures regarding related parties and transactions with such parties. |
| 2. |
Definitions of related parties and related party transactions are given in Statement of Standard Accounting Practice
(SSAP) 20 "Related party disclosures" and are adopted for the purpose of this SAS. Where auditors following
SASs are reporting on financial statements prepared in accordance with a financial reporting framework other than
the accounting principles generally accepted in Hong Kong (other financial reporting framework), definitions of
related parties and related party transactions given in that other financial reporting framework would also need
to be considered. |
| |
| Auditors' responsibilities |
| |
| 3. |
The auditors should perform audit procedures designed to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding
the identification and disclosure by directors and senior management of related parties and the effect of related
party transactions that are material to the financial statements. (SAS 460.1) |
| 4. |
An audit conducted in accordance with SASs cannot be expected to detect all related party relationships and transactions.
However, auditors would plan and perform the audit so as to have a reasonable expectation of detecting related
party transactions that are material to the financial statements. |
| 5. |
Directors and senior management are responsible for the identification and disclosure of related parties and transactions
with such parties. An adequate internal control system will help directors and senior management to ensure that
transactions with related parties are identified in the accounting records, and disclosed in the financial statements
if appropriate. |
| 6. |
The auditors need to have a level of knowledge of the entity's business and industry that will enable identification
of the events, transactions and practices that may have a material effect on the financial statements. Guidance
on knowledge of the business is set out in SAS 210 "Knowledge of the business". While the existence of
related parties and transactions between such parties are considered ordinary features of business, the auditors
need to be aware of them because: |
| |
a. |
the financial reporting framework may require disclosure in the financial statements of certain related party relationships
and transactions identified by SSAP 20 or other financial reporting framework; |
| |
b. |
the existence of related parties or related party transactions may affect the financial statements; |
| |
c. |
the source of audit evidence affects the auditors' assessment of its reliability. A greater degree of reliance
may be placed on audit evidence that is obtained from or created by unrelated third parties; |
| |
d. |
a related party transaction may be motivated by other than ordinary business considerations, for example, profit
sharing or even fraud; and |
| |
e. |
the potential for error may increase because related party transactions may be initiated and authorised by directors
and senior management, and may therefore not subject to the normal internal control procedures as applicable to
other routine transactions. |
| |
| Audit procedures |
| |
| 7. |
As indicated in SAS 100 "Objective and general principles governing an audit of financial statements",
in certain circumstances there are limitations that may affect the persuasiveness of evidence available to draw
conclusions on particular financial statement assertions. Because of the degree of uncertainty associated with
the financial statement assertions regarding the completeness of related parties, the results of the procedures
identified in paragraphs 8 to 25 below will provide sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding those assertions
in the absence of any circumstances identified by the auditors that: |
| |
a. |
increase the risk of misstatement beyond that which would ordinarily be expected; or |
| |
b. |
indicate that a material misstatement regarding related parties has occurred. |
| |
| Existence and disclosure of related parties |
| |
| 8. |
The auditors should review information provided by the directors and senior management identifying the names
of all known related parties and should perform the following procedures in respect of the completeness of this
information: |
| |
a. |
review prior year working papers for names of known related parties; |
| |
b. |
review the entity's procedures for identification of related parties; |
| |
c. |
enquire as to the affiliation of directors and officers with other entities; |
| |
d. |
review shareholder records to determine the names of principal shareholders or, if appropriate, obtain a
listing of principal shareholders from the share register; |
| |
e. |
review minutes of the meetings of shareholders and the board of directors and other relevant statutory records
such as the register of directors' interests; |
| |
f. |
enquire of other auditors currently involved in the audit, or predecessor auditors of the entity, as to their
knowledge of additional related parties; and |
| |
g. |
review the entity's profits tax returns and other information supplied to regulatory agencies. (SAS 460.2) |
| 9. |
The following would be observed for any exchanges of information among auditors as required in 8(f) above: |
| |
a. |
it is advisable that the exchanges of information are made at an early stage of the audit, such as the audit planning
stage; |
| |
b. |
guidance on the relationships between the principal auditors and other auditors is set out in SAS 510 "Principal
auditors and other auditors"; and |
| |
c. |
enquiries of predecessor auditors would only be made by the incoming auditors in the first year after the change
of auditors. |
| 10. |
When performing audit procedures which may identify related parties and related party transactions, the auditors
would consider the substance of the relationship and/or transaction being tested and not merely the legal form. |
| 11. |
Where SSAP 20 or other financial reporting framework requires disclosure of related party relationships and
transactions, the auditors should be satisfied that the disclosure is adequate. (SAS 460.3) |
| |
| Transactions with related parties |
| |
| 12. |
The auditors should review information provided by directors and senior management identifying related party
transactions and should be alert for other material related party transactions. (SAS 460.4) |
| 13. |
The names of identified related parties need to be provided to all personnel involved in the audit so that they
will be alerted to recognise transactions with such parties if they are encountered during the audit. |
| 14. |
When obtaining an understanding of the accounting and internal control systems and making a preliminary assessment
of control risk as required by SAS 300 "Audit risk assessments and accounting and internal control systems",
the auditors should consider the adequacy of control procedures over the authorisation and recording of related
party transactions. (SAS 460.5) |
| 15. |
During the course of the audit, the auditors need to be alert for transactions which appear unusual in the circumstances
and may indicate the existence of previously unidentified related parties. Examples include: |
| |
a. |
transactions which have abnormal terms of trade, such as unusual prices, interest rates, guarantees, and repayment
terms; |
| |
b. |
transactions which lack an apparent logical business reason for their occurrence; |
| |
c. |
transactions in which substance differs from form; |
| |
d. |
transactions processed in an unusual manner; |
| |
e. |
high volume or significant transactions with certain customers or suppliers as compared with others; |
| |
f. |
unrecorded transactions such as the receipt or provision of management services at no charge. |
| 16. |
During the course of the audit, the auditors carry out procedures which may identify the existence of transactions
with related parties. Examples include: |
| |
a. |
performing detailed tests of transactions and balances; |
| |
b. |
reviewing minutes of meetings of shareholders and directors; |
| |
c. |
reviewing accounting records for large or unusual transactions or balances, paying particular attention to transactions
recognised at or near the end of the reporting period; |
| |
d. |
reviewing confirmations of loans receivable and payable and confirmations from banks. Such a review may indicate
guarantor relationships and other related party transactions; |
| |
e. |
reviewing investment transactions, for example, purchase or sale of an equity interest in a joint venture or other
entity; |
| |
f. |
reviewing invoices from and correspondence with the company's solicitors and legal and other professional advisers
that have performed regular or special services for the company for indications of the existence of related parties
or related party transactions. |
| 17. |
In the absence of evidence to the contrary, transactions with related parties need not be assumed to be outside
the normal course of business. The auditors would, however, be aware of the possibility that transactions with
related parties may have been motivated solely, or in the large measure, by conditions similar to the following: |
| |
a. |
lack of sufficient working capital or credit to continue the business; |
| |
b. |
a desire for a continued favourable earnings record; |
| |
c. |
an overly optimistic earnings forecast; |
| |
d. |
dependence on a single or relatively few products, customers, or transactions for the continuing success of the
venture; |
| |
e. |
a declining industry characterised by a large number of business failures; |
| |
f. |
excess capacity; |
| |
g. |
significant litigation; or |
| |
h. |
significant obsolescence dangers for companies in a high-technology industry. |
| |
| Examining identified related party transactions |
| |
| 18. |
In examining the identified related party transactions, the auditors should obtain sufficient appropriate
audit evidence as to whether these transactions have been properly recorded and disclosed in the financial statements.
(SAS 460.6) |
| 19. |
Given the nature of related party relationships, evidence of a related party transaction may be limited, for example,
regarding the existence of stocks held by a related party on consignment or an instruction from a parent company
to a subsidiary to record a royalty expense. Because of the limited availability of appropriate evidence about
such transactions, the auditors would consider performing procedures such as: |
| |
a. |
discussing the purpose of the transaction with directors and senior management; |
| |
b. |
confirming the terms and amount of the transaction with the related party; |
| |
c. |
inspecting evidence in possession of the related party; or |
| |
d. |
confirming or discussing information with persons associated with the transaction, such as banks, lawyers, guarantors
and agents. |
| |
| Management representations |
| |
| 20. |
The auditors should obtain a written representation from directors and/or senior management in accordance
with SAS 440 "Representations by management" concerning: |
| |
a. |
the completeness of information provided regarding the identification of related parties; |
| |
b. |
the completeness of related party transactions identified in the accounting records; and |
| |
c. |
the adequacy of related party disclosures in the financial statements. (SAS 460.7) |
| 21. |
Unless the audit reveals evidence to the contrary, the auditors are entitled to accept representations, by directors
and senior management, as truthful and records and documents as genuine. However, the auditors plan and perform
the audit with an attitude of professional scepticism, recognising that conditions or events may be found that
indicate that undisclosed related party transactions exist. The degree of the auditors' scepticism increases when
they have concerns about the integrity of the directors and senior management or where the operating style of management
does not place a high priority on financial statement disclosure. |
| 22. |
For related party transactions which are material or considered unusual in terms of purpose or terms of trade,
the auditors may request that they are formally minuted as being approved by the board of directors. |
| |
| Materiality |
| |
| 23. |
Guidance on audit materiality is set out in SAS 220 "Audit materiality". |
| 24. |
When determining materiality regarding related parties, the auditors would consider the nature and circumstances
of related party transactions, as it may often be difficult to extend materiality levels used in other aspects
of the audit to those involving related parties because, for example: |
| |
a. |
there is no objective value or basis of measurement for some related party transactions; |
| |
b. |
there may be a requirement to measure qualitative aspects such as the extent and impact of control or significant
influence, or the impact of transactions on the users of the financial statements; and |
| |
c. |
transactions in which a director or senior management is interested may be deemed material regardless of the quantum
of the amounts involved. |
| 25. |
The auditors may consider it appropriate to request directors and senior management to estimate or place an imputed
value on certain transactions for the purpose of determining their impact on the financial statements, for example,
transactions that have occurred but for which no price or a nominal price is charged. |
| |
| Additional audit procedures |
| |
| 26. |
Where there is any indication that the circumstances set out in paragraph 7 above exist, i.e. those which
increase the risk of misstatement beyond that which would ordinarily be expected or indicate that a material misstatement
regarding related parties has occurred, the auditors should perform modified, extended or additional procedures
as are appropriate in the circumstances. (SAS 460.8) |
| 27. |
As in examining any other material account balance or class of transactions, the auditors would consider audit
risk and design and apply appropriate substantive tests to evaluate management's assertions about related party
transactions. This risk is often assessed as higher than for many other types of transactions because of the possibility
that the parties to the transaction are motivated by reasons other than those that exist for most business transactions
(see paragraph 17 above). Guidance on audit risk assessments is set out in SAS 300 "Audit risk assessments
and accounting and internal control systems". |
| 28. |
The higher the auditors' assessment of risk regarding related party transactions, the more extensive or effective
the audit tests would be in order to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence as to whether these transactions
have been properly recorded and disclosed in the financial statements. For example, the auditors' tests regarding
valuation of a debtor balance with an entity under common control might be more extensive than for a trade debtor
of the same size because the common parent may be motivated to obscure the substance of the transaction. In assessing
the risk of the related party transactions the auditors obtain an understanding of the business purpose of the
transactions. |
| |
| Audit conclusions and reporting |
| |
| 29. |
The auditors should consider the implications for their report if: |
| |
a. |
they are unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence concerning related parties and transactions
with such parties; or |
| |
b. |
the related party disclosures in the financial statements are not adequate. (SAS 460.9) |
| 30. |
If the auditors are unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence concerning related parties and transactions
with such parties, this is a limitation on the scope of the audit. Accordingly, the auditors consider the need
to issue either a qualified opinion or a disclaimer of opinion in accordance with SAS 600 "Auditors' reports
on financial statements". |
| 31. |
If the auditors conclude that the related party disclosures are not adequate, they consider the need to issue either
a qualified or adverse opinion depending on the particular circumstances, in accordance with SAS 600. Where the
auditors are aware of material undisclosed related party transactions, that in their opinion are required to be
disclosed, the opinion section of their report, whenever practicable, includes the information that would have
been included in the financial statements had the relevant requirements been followed. |
| 32. |
Where material weaknesses in the accounting and internal control systems for the identification and recording of
related party transactions are identified during the audit, the auditors would report them in writing to an appropriate
level of management on a timely basis. Guidance on reports to directors or management is set out in PN 600.3 "Reports
to directors or management". |
| |
| Compliance with International Standards on Auditing |
| |
| 33. |
Compliance with the auditing standards contained in this SAS ensures compliance in all material respects with the
basic principles and essential procedures in International Standard on Auditing 550 "Related Parties". |
| |
| Effective date |
| |
| 34. |
Auditors are required to comply with the requirements of this SAS in respect of audits of financial statements
for periods ending on or after 30 September 1998. Earlier adoption is encouraged but not required. |
