The demand for corporate accountability has never been higher than in today's business environment, with the actions of a few having undermined trust in corporate America. As a result, many new laws and regulations have been enacted to restore this lost trust. These new laws and regulations reflect the new reality in corporate governance, with the overall goal of helping to ensure greater transparency, accountability, and integrity in corporate conduct.

In this new environment, corporations will be required to monitor compliance with numerous elements of corporate governance policies, including auditor independence, adequacy and transparency of financial reporting and disclosures, external and internal audit conduct, and detection and investigation of financial fraud. Periodically, evidence may emerge that a material act of non-compliance has occurred. In certain cases, the audit committee will be charged with conducting a corporate internal investigation to determine the extent of the problem, including who is involved, how material is the issue, have any laws been broken, and what course of action should be taken to address the problem now and in the future.

Paragon Consulting has been involved in many corporate internal investigations on behalf of our clients. Working in conjunction with internal and external counsel, we have determined the facts through the gathering of documented evidence, including internal document collection and witness interviews. In many cases, we have used the computer as an essential tool in conducting our investigation, analyzing volumes of data to find and prove fraud. Realizing the sensitivity involved in such investigations, we conduct each engagement with the utmost discretion and professionalism. Our corporate internal investigation engagements have addressed issues such as:

• Financial Statement Reporting
• Transaction Structuring Issues
• Revenue Recognition and Earnings Management
• Audit Evidence and Auditor Conduct
• Fair Presentation and Disclosure Transparency
• Related Party Transactions