You are an audit manager with UP-Wise & Associate;Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants. You have been assigned to the audit of Eastern Decors Ltd (ED), a long-established firm of event planning service in the city where your practice is located. The audit of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2019 is due to commence shortly. The audit firm is aware that the client has received a loan from the bank in April, 2018 and that the bank will rely on the audited financial statements as part of the terms and conditions in the loan agreement.

The partner in charge of UP-Wise & Associate has just visited the client and made the following notes during his trip:

(i) The firm has a number of individual and corporate clients outside Accra and has invested heavily in recording and broadcasting equipment to allow some events to be broadcasted over the internet. This facility is now available at all events conducted in EDs premises and is proving to be very popular. To date, no specific extra charge has been levied for this service but the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ED has asked us to prepare a report for him advising on whether it would be practical to charge separately for it; and, if so, the level at which the charge should be set.

(ii) Unfortunately, EDs main supplier of chairs went into liquidation during the year. The Partner said that they were fortunate to be able to find an alternative supplier with whom they entered into a three-year contract for the supply of chairs. At the time of signing the contract, ED considered the contract to be on very favourable terms. However, the supplier is based in Nigeria and the contract was denominated in Naira. Movements in the exchange rate now make the contract look far less attractive and the CEO has requested that we examine the contract to see if there is any way he can legally set it aside.

Required:

a. Critically evaluate any possible ethical issues arising from the clients requests (5 marks).

b. Discuss whether the auditors may be liable to the bank in case the audit was negligently done (10marks)