ETHICS IN FORENSIC ACCOUNTING: CHALLENGES, IMPACTS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

This study emphasizes the necessity of an ethical framework by evaluating the ethical problems that forensic accountants face or may encounter while fulfilling their duties in audit and judicial processes, using case studies. It aims to provide solutions for implementing ethical principles by identifying the gray areas that forensic accountants may encounter in their professional practice and contributing to the limited literature examining forensic accounting in an ethical context. A comprehensive review of the forensic accounting and ethics literature, particularly the relationship between forensic accounting and ethics, is conducted, followed by an examination of the ethical values that forensic accountants should possess. Gray areas and ethical conflicts that forensic accountants may encounter in practice are identified by analyzing selected cases from different geographies and cultures. The case studies identified areas of uncertainty that forensic accountants may frequently encounter. It has been concluded that teaching ethical values to forensic accountants within the framework of the suggestions presented in this study, along with professional knowledge, and identifying gray areas, can make the audit and judgment processes more fair and transparent.