The investigative agencies that scrutinized Royal Ahold’s accounting records identified three principal sources of the material misrepresentations in the company’s
financial statements. Royal Ahold had improperly included financial data of certain foreign joint ventures in its consolidated fnancial statements, which resulted
in large overstatements of its consolidated revenues and assets. The company had
also accounted improperly for the initial investments in many of those foreign joint
ventures. Finally, a forensic investigation authorized by Royal Ahold’s senior management uncovered extensive fraud in the accounting records of U.S. Foodservice,
the company’s large United States subsidiary.
Royal Ahold’s 2001 financial statements were the final financial statements issued
by the company for a complete fiscal year prior to the discovery of the accounting
fraud. Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2 present the comparative income statements and balance sheets, respectively, included in the Form 20-F registration statement fled by
Royal Ahold with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for fiscal 2001.
Foreign companies registered with the SEC file a Form 20-F annually with that
federal agency, a registration statement comparable in most respects to the Form
10-K fled with the SEC by U.S.-based companies.