Audit Committees’ Appointments of Statutory Auditors (on the Example of Warsaw-listed Banks) – Regulatory Requirements versus Effective Protection of the Public Interest

This paper looks at the procedure for appointing statutory auditors in the context of the role of the audit committee – a new quasi-corporate body of listed companies. The committee was established as one of the elements that were to ensure the transparency of listed companies, particularly as regards balance sheet issues. Therefore, it is meant to be a guarantor of the public interest, ensuring complete correctness of the financial reporting process, which comprises, among other things, the need to appoint an independent and objective external auditor. The authors investigate whether statutory auditor appointment procedures in a group of banks listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange meet the regulatory requirements and also – even more importantly – whether they really satisfy the demand for the protection of a specific public interest.