Filter
Top Products
When presenting the preliminary results for the quarter to the Audit Committee, the Controller inaccurately represented that the vast majority
of these releases were “business as usual” and in compliance with U.S. GAAP, and that the remaining releases were one time, non-recurring
events and in compliance with U.S. GAAP. Further, the CFO and the Controller failed to advise the Audit Committee and/or the Board of
Directors that release of excess corporate provisions was required to achieve profitability and make up for the shortfall in operational results;
that such releases were needed to cover the cost of the bonus compensation; that no event in the quarter triggered the releases (as required by
U.S. GAAP); that the releases implicated Staff Accounting Bulletin 99 (relating to materiality) because they turned a loss for the quarter into a
profit; and that they retained a significant amount of excess provisions on the balance sheet to be used, when needed, in a subsequent quarter.
In separate executive sessions held by the Audit Committee with the CFO and the Controller, neither the CFO nor the Controller raised quality
of earnings issues nor questioned the payment of the RTP bonus. Based on management’s representations, the Audit Committee approved the
quarterly results, and the Board approved the award of the RTP bonus.
Second quarter, 2003
.
Seeking to continue to show profitability in the second quarter and meet the first RSU milestone and the second
tranche of the RTP bonus, senior corporate management developed internal EBT targets to achieve pro forma profitability. As was the case in
the first quarter, it became clear during the quarter that operational results would be a loss. At the request of finance management in each
business unit, finance employees again identified “hard” provisions from the balance sheet, and, together, they determined which provisions to
release to close the gap and achieve the internal EBT targets. Nortel has since determined that many of these releases were not in accordance
with U.S. GAAP, and has reversed those releases in the First and Second Restatements and restated the releases into proper quarters. In both
the first and second quarters of 2003, the dollar value of many individual releases was relatively small, but the aggregate value of the releases
made the difference between a pro forma loss and profit in each quarter.
The CEO, the CFO and the Controller failed to advise the Audit Committee or the Board of Directors that operations of the business units were
running at a loss during the second quarter and that the validity of many of the numerous provision releases, totaling more than $370 million,
could be questionable. Based on management’s representations, the Audit Committee approved the quarterly results, and the Board approved
payment of the second tranche of the RTP bonus and awarded restricted stock under the RSU plan.
Third and fourth quarters, 2003
.
In light of concerns raised by the inappropriate accounting judgments outlined above, the Audit
Committee expanded its investigation to determine whether excess provisions were released to meet internal EBT targets in each of these two
quarters. No evidence emerged to suggest an intent to release provisions strategically in those quarters to meet EBT targets. Given the
significant volume of provision releases in these two quarters, the Audit Committee directed management to review provision releases, down to
a low threshold, using the same methods used to evaluate the releases made in the first half of the year. This review has resulted in additional
adjustments for these quarters, which are reflected in the Second Restatement.
119