a new accounting regulatory framework with reference to IASs. This work is supported by an
International Accounting Firm, because of the limitations of skills of company’s accountants
in implementing all IASs that are related to the company activities (FM 1).
Our bank follows the requirements of the Banking Law No. 1 of 2005. I think this Law is
considered as the main accounting source of all banks in Libya. Also any financial regulations
and announcements of the Central Bank (CB) are applied by the bank. Furthermore, the LCL
and the Income Tax Law considered as accounting reference for treatment of items that are not
mentioned in the Banking Law such as asset’ depreciation (FM 8).
The importance of accounting sources for external auditors. External auditors (SRA
and STA) were asked about the accounting sources that they use to assess financial
statements of public companies. All interviewees considered that Libyan laws and
regulations as very important sources for assessing the accounting statements of
companies and to express their professional opinion on them. In addition, all of them
believed that the US GAAP and IASs are used as second accounting sources for
auditing of financial statements of companies:
In fact, the accounting sources that should be followed in auditing financial statements of
companies are considered as a big problem for us. Practically, we investigate accounting
items of financial statements of Libyan companies according to the requirements of laws and
regulations (which are considered as the key accounting references), the US GAAP and IASs
(which are considered as a second accounting sources). Moreover, if these laws and
regulations do not include accounting treatments for some financial statements’ items then
we use the US GAAP or IASs. This depends on the accounting standards that a company is
required to be used by the company (SRA 2).
The role of the LAAA in developing accounting profession. Interviewees of all groups
were asked to give their views on the role of the LAAA in achieving its objectives,
which are required by the Law 116 of 1973, and which are related to the development
of the corporate accounting profession. There was general consistency across the
interviewees, that the LAAA has played no role in the following objectives:
involvement in drafting laws and regulations related to the corporate accounting
practices, providing recommendations on matters where accounting regulation is
lacking, providing training courses in accounting to improve skills of its members and
relating to specific controversial accounting issues and monitoring or participating in
planning the accounting education programmes. More than a half of the interviewees
considered that the LAAA played a reasonable role in developing the Libyan
Accounting Standards, while the rest of them believed that it has played no role.
The following comments illustrate the views of some of the interviewees:
According to my knowledge, the LAAA’s role focuses only on the registration of its members
and providing licences to them to practice accounting and auditing professions. However, in
2006 it translated about 29 IASs from English to Arabic and they were named as the Libyan
Accounting Standards (FM 1).
Yes, the LAAA achieved its role in organizing the registration of its members, setting
regulations concerning the accounting profession which deals with the subject of its
members. It also has announced the first draft of the LASs. In addition, the LAAA provided
more than seven training courses in introducing the LASs and IASs (RG).
In fact, the LAAA is absent from any significant contribution to developing the accounting
profession particularly in the corporate accounting practices. It has played no role in
providing training courses in accounting and auditing. For example, we train and develop our