ICAI issues notices to 11 more audit cos with foreign tie-ups

“We have issued notices to 11 more firms. We have asked about their activities, international affiliations and operating structure in India,” ICAI President Uttam Prakash Agarwal said here.

Last week, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) had issued notices to 12 auditing firms to check surrogate audit practice by foreign auditing firms in India.

As per the WTO norms, foreign firms cannot practice in India. However, they operate in India through affiliates registered in the country.

Agarwal said the institute wants to understand the modus operandi of these firms having foreign affiliations.

The decision assumes importance in the light of accounting fraud in Satyam Computer, the books of which were audited by Price Waterhouse, Indian arm of global auditing firm PricewaterHouse Coopers.

The institute had constituted a seven-member committee headed by Agarwal to look into the Satyam scam and to suggest changes to the government, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and other regulators.