The tradition of professional oath in the audit field

There are professions that, due to high public interest, require taking oath from the people willing to enter into a profession, before starting their practices. A professional oath is an ancient form of ethical management of the activity. An individual, taking the professional oath, vows that he/she will perform the activity in accordance with the professional standards.  The necessity of the existence of such oath, first of all, arises from the social function of the profession and its binding force or moral weight is much more than a mere promise.  

Well-known examples of professional oaths are the Hippocratic Oath and judicial oath. It is no news for the audit field as well.  There are countries where the oath of auditor is mandatory. It is noteworthy that in many countries there is a long tradition of the oath of auditors. Also, oath-taking bodies vary according to countries. For example, in France and Finland auditors take oath before the court and in Austria - before the minister of economy.  However, it should be mentioned that in most countries auditors take the oath before professional organizations. 

The text of the oath of the professional auditors varies between countries.  However, in most cases, it comprises regulatory legal acts of the field, respect for professional and ethical standards and compliance with them. Besides, the texts of the oath of the auditors, on many occasions, comprise the condition to perform activities conscientiously, responsibly, objectively and honestly. It is worth mentioning, that in the text of the professional oath of the auditors, in most countries, special importance is attached to the duties of legality and confidentiality.

We would like to inform you about the professional oath of the auditors in the member countries of the IFIAR, including the text of an oath established in several countries and information on the body to which the oath is taken. 

SARAS considers it expedient to establish the oath-taking practice of auditors in Georgia, which will enhance the reputation of the profession. With or without the relevant legislative reform, SARAS calls on professional organizations and other stakeholders to jointly develop the text of the oath. This will lay the foundation for the new, important tradition to the profession.