Anti-Corruption Audit: Concept, Types, and Elements

The prosperity of corruption, especially during the war, is one of the threats to Ukraine's national security, political stability and economy. International audit practice shows that anti-corruption audit is an effective tool for combating corruption and financial fraud. The article aims to distinguish the concepts of anti-corruption audit and anti-corruption compliance, to disclose the types of anti-corruption audit and its elements, and to determine the place and role of anti-corruption compliance in detecting and preventing manifestations of illegal corruption actions. Based on the analysis of the essence, two types of anti-corruption audit are distinguished: internal and external, which makes it possible to determine their differences and areas of application. In scientific literature, anti-corruption audit is often equated with anti-corruption compliance, which, in our opinion, is a component of internal anti-corruption audit. This conclusion follows from the general interpretation provided by the International Compliance Association and from the ideology of compliance, which involves compliance with the internal policies and procedures of the business entity. The elements of an anti-corruption audit are defined based on the provisions of international normative acts, the specifics and requirements of the activities of international organizations; however, for Ukrainian practice, it is appropriate to distinguish its main and additional elements based on the specifics of the activities of business entities and public sector entities. The main elements are mandatory for private and public sector entities, and additional ones depend on the field of activity and the level of corruption risks in the surrounding environment. The interpretation of the term anti-corruption audit proposed in the article, the definition of its differences from anti-corruption compliance and the identification of its structural components will contribute to constructing an effective system of combating fraudulent and corruption schemes in the private and public sectors of the Ukrainian economy.