Matthew Damon has been appointed as a junior auditor of AwesomewaterhouseCoopers (AwC). One of his first tasks is to review the firms audit clients to ensure that independence requirements of APES 110 (Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants) are being met. His review has revealed the following:

(1) AwC is soon planning to commence its audit work for Blue Metals Limited (BML). James Grage will be the engagement partner for the BML audit. Paul Levesque is also a partner at AwC and sits in the same office as James. Pauls wife Stephanie has recently purchased shares in BML. Paul is not involved in the BML audit.

Required:

Using the conceptual framework in APES 110 (Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants), identify potential threat(s) to independence & recommend safeguards (if any) to reduce the independence threat(s) identified. Also, provide an objective assessment of whether audit independence can be achieved.