The financial audit has two components: the statutory audit (mandatory for certain companies) made by financial auditors and the optional audit which can be done by other professionals (chartered accountants, evaluators, and tax matters members). The statutory audit represents the examination done by an authorized and independent professional of the financial statement of a company, in order to express a motivated opinion regarding the position, situation and financial performance. The statutory audit is established by law for those companies which have a significant public impact. The financial statement represents the management’s statement through which the firm communicates with the stakeholders: shareholders, creditors, investors, clients, debtors, contractors, employees, state institutions and the population. The objective of the performance audit is the efficiency and effectiveness with which the audited company uses its resources in order to accomplish its responsibilities. The audit committees have a greater responsibility especially after the scandals in the US (Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia), through the Sarbanes- Oxley act from 2002. The audit committee has the following attributions: it monitors the financial reports made by the executive management, helps internal investigations, monitors and evaluates the activity of the internal audit department, gives recommendations to the administration council regarding the problems encountered when communicating with the shareholders, replacing or extending the mandate of the external auditor and authorizes the approval of this person’s fees.
