Agenda of the workshop on the forming of audit opinions, co-organised by SIGMA and the Turkish Court of Accounts, which took place in Ankara on 26-27 October 2016

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Turkish Court of Accounts
Workshop on the forming of Audit Opinions
AGENDA
Ankara
26 - 27 October 2016

2. 2
Background
The Turkish Court of Accounts (TCA) has been undergoing significant change in its way of working in
recent years. The new audit Law came into force on 19 December 2010, and the TCA has subsequently
been transitioning to an audit system performing audits in accordance with international auditing
standards. As a result the TCA began undertaking financial statements audits and issuing opinions in
2011. They currently provide over 600 opinions annually on the financial statements of organisations
they audit.
In forming and presenting opinions as a result of their audits of financial statements the TCA audit staff
undertake the financial statements audits, reach a conclusion and present the findings and conclusions
of the audit. The relevant Chambers of the Court, whilst not involved in or specifically responsible for the
opinions, consider the findings and opinions recommended by the audit staff and provide
recommendations for consideration by the Report Evaluation Board (a Committee of Court members)
who provide the final recommendation on the opinion and report to be presented to the presidency of
the TCA. Resulting from this it has been identified that the decisions on the opinions made by the court
are sometimes differing from those presented to them by the audit staff.
The quality control regime that has been implemented to examine the conclusions and opinions resulting
from the financial statements audits currently requires all audit opinions to be reviewed by committees
at both staff and Court level, creating capacity issues particularly for the Court’s report evaluation board.
All opinions are reviewed with no consideration of the risks related to the audits.
Objectives
The TCA are looking to hear and learn from experts of EU member state SAIs about the processes they
use for reaching opinions on their audits of financial statements, in order to meet the requirements as
defined in the ISSAIs, including meeting the quality assurance and control requirements, so that they can
further enhance and develop their practices and the technical capacities. The workshop will provide
examples of:
• the approach used in the forming of the audit opinions,
• the evaluation of the qualitative and quantitative effects of audit findings in the context of
materiality and risk,
• the determination of the audit opinion in accordance with the collected audit evidence and audit
results achieved,
• the impact of compliance audit findings and fraud on the audit opinion,
• quality control processes to ensure the issuance of appropriate audit opinion’s including
consideration of high risk audits and audit modifications.

3. 3
Wednesday 26 October 2016
09.30 Opening of the Workshop, welcome
Mr. Seyit Ahmet BAŞ, President, Turkish Court of Accounts
Mr. Alastair Swarbrick, Senior Advisor, Sigma
10.00 Keynote presentation on the TCA’s current audit practices
by Fikret ÇÖKER, Vice-President , Turkish Court of Accounts
This presentation will include TCA’s experience of implementing the audit of
financial statements and forming an opinion on the financial statements,
including quality control to ensure the safety of the opinion. It will highlight the
key issues and challenges for the TCA in forming opinions and the related
quality control arrangements.
10.45 Coffee / tea break
11.15 The requirements of the key ISSAIs relevant to reaching and forming an
opinion on the financial statements, including the quality control
requirements
by Mr Wieslaw Kurzyca, SIGMA expert, Supreme Audit Office, Poland and Mr
Nigel Penny, SIGMA expert, former National Audit Office and International
Manager, United Kingdom
Introduction and short presentation of the key ISSAIs of specific relevance to
forming an opinion on financial statements.
Questions & Answers
12.45 Lunch
14.00 Forming Audit opinions on financial statements, and the quality control
arrangements in France
by Mr Jean-Michel Champomier, SIGMA expert, Court of Accounts, France
Introduction and presentation on forming audit opinions in the context of the
audit of financial statements in France.
The presentation will describe the process for reaching opinions on the audits
of financial statements. It will cover the evaluation of audit findings in relation
to materiality and risk, determination of the audit opinion in accordance with
the collected audit evidence and the quality control arrangements to ensure
the issuance of appropriate audit opinion.
Questions & Answers

4. 4
15.30 Coffee / tea break
16.00 Forming Audit opinions on financial statements, and the quality control
arrangements in Poland
by Mr Wieslaw Kurzyca, SIGMA expert, Supreme Audit Office, Poland
Introduction and presentation on forming audit opinions in the context of the
audit of financial statements in Poland.
The presentation will describe the process for reaching opinions on the audits
of financial statement. It will cover the evaluation of audit findings in relation
to materiality and risk, determination of the audit opinion in accordance with
the collected audit evidence and the quality control arrangements to ensure
the issuance of appropriate audit opinion.
Questions & Answers
16.45 Conclusion and End of Day 1

5. 5
Thursday 27 October 2016
9.30 Opening of Day 2
by Mr. Azmi ES , Turkish Court of Accounts
by Mr. Alastair Swarbrick, Senior Advisor, Sigma
9.35 Forming Audit opinions on financial statements, and the quality control
arrangements in Poland
by Mr Wieslaw Kurzyca, SIGMA expert, Supreme Audit Office, Poland
The presentation is a continuation of the above presentation. The
presenter will make a break where he finds it best between the two
presentations.
Questions & Answers
10.20 Forming Audit opinions on financial statements, and the quality control
arrangements in the United Kingdom
by Mr Nigel Penny, SIGMA expert, former National Audit Office and
International Manager, United Kingdom
Introduction and presentation on forming audit opinions in the context of the
audit of financial statements in United Kingdom.
The presentation will describe the process for reaching opinions on the audits
of financial statements. It will cover the evaluation of audit findings in relation
to materiality and risk, determination of the audit opinion in accordance with
the collected audit evidence and the quality control arrangements to ensure
the issuance of appropriate audit opinion.
Questions & Answers
11.05 Coffee / tea break
11.35 Forming Audit opinions on financial statements, and the quality control
arrangements in the United Kingdom
by Mr Nigel Penny, SIGMA expert, former National Audit Office and
International Manager, United kingdom.
The presentation is a continuation of the above presentation. The presenter
will make a break where he finds it best between the two presentations.
Questions & Answers
12.20 Plenary Session
Introduction of the study questions that will be considered and the assignment
of discussion groups.

6. 6
12.30 Lunch
13.30 Break-out session in groups
Each group to focus the discussion on the study questions and to form
conclusions for feedback to the plenary.
15.00 Plenary session
Each group to present its conclusions
15.45 Coffee / tea break
16.15 Panel debate
Co-chaired by , Turkish Court of Accounts and by Mr Alastair Swarbrick, Senior
Advisor, Sigma
All SIGMA presenters attending
16.45 Conclusions and next steps
by Mr. Azmi ES, Turkish Court of Accounts
17.00 Closing of the workshop
by Mr. Azmi ES, Turkish Court of Accounts
by Mr Alastair Swarbrick, Senior Advisor, Sigma