Corporate Investigations and Governance Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Internal Auditors, Compliance Officers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-FFC-008

Before you join: Participants should understand basic financial controls, organisational reporting lines and common fraud risks.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Corporate fraud, bribery, conflicts of interest and financial misstatement allegations demand more than fact-finding. Boards, audit committees and senior management need investigations that are independent, proportionate and defensible. Poorly scoped work can compromise evidence, expose witnesses, delay decisions and leave control failures unresolved. Investigators must establish what happened, quantify the exposure, identify responsible parties and present findings that support lawful, fair governance action.

This course develops the methods used to manage internal corporate investigations from allegation intake through reporting and remediation. Participants learn to set mandates, assess independence and conflicts, triage allegations, preserve evidence, plan document reviews, analyse financial records, conduct investigative interviews and test control failures. The course addresses fraud risk indicators, whistleblowing reports, third-party misconduct, procurement irregularities, expense abuse, asset misappropriation and management override. It also examines the respective roles of legal counsel, internal audit, compliance, human resources, security and the board.

Teaching combines practitioner briefings with case analysis, group decision work, interview simulations and investigation-planning activities. Cases reflect realistic issues in banks, public bodies, multinationals, NGOs and regulated firms. Participants leave with an investigation case file containing a mandate, triage assessment, evidence plan, interview plan, financial-analysis approach, findings structure and remediation action plan. A certificate of completion is issued to participants who complete the five-day instructor-led course.

The course is suited to professionals who may commission, lead, support or oversee workplace investigations. It is particularly useful where fraud and financial-crime concerns must be addressed alongside due process, confidentiality, employment obligations and board reporting.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess allegations using a documented investigation triage and risk-rating method
  • Draft investigation mandates defining scope, authority, independence and reporting lines
  • Build evidence preservation plans using chain-of-custody and legal-hold controls
  • Analyse transaction data using fraud indicators, exception testing and document tracing
  • Conduct structured investigative interviews using the PEACE interviewing model
  • Evaluate control failures against the COSO Internal Control Framework
  • Write defensible investigation reports separating facts, findings, inferences and recommendations
  • Develop remediation plans that assign control owners, actions, deadlines and assurance testing

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence commissioning or leading sensitive misconduct investigations
  • A repeatable method for documenting allegation triage decisions
  • Stronger interviewing practice for witnesses, subjects and reporting persons
  • Clearer financial evidence analysis for fraud and misconduct cases
  • Board-ready reporting skills for findings, limitations and remedial actions

For your organisation

  • More consistent handling of whistleblowing and misconduct allegations
  • Reduced risk of compromised evidence and poorly documented decisions
  • Earlier identification of fraud patterns, control gaps and repeat exposures
  • Clearer audit committee oversight through defined investigation reporting
  • Better targeted remediation with accountable owners and assurance measures

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can establish an investigation governance structure with clear authority, independence and escalation routes.

  • Board, audit committee and management responsibilities during misconduct investigations
  • Investigation mandates defining authority, scope, reporting lines and decision rights
  • Independence assessments covering conflicts, prior involvement and perceived bias
  • RACI matrices assigning legal, compliance, audit, HR and security responsibilities
  • Legal privilege considerations and engagement protocols with external counsel
  • Confidentiality controls for sensitive allegations, witnesses and investigation records

Participants can assess incoming allegations and determine proportionate next steps.

  • Whistleblowing intake records capturing allegation, source, dates and supporting material
  • Triage criteria assessing credibility, materiality, urgency and potential harm
  • Fraud risk indicators linked to bribery, theft, conflicts and reporting manipulation
  • Initial risk ratings using likelihood, impact, evidence availability and recurrence
  • Escalation thresholds for senior management, audit committees and regulators
  • Case acceptance decisions distinguishing investigation, review, monitoring and closure

Participants can create a proportionate investigation plan for a financial misconduct allegation.

  • Issue trees converting broad allegations into testable investigation questions
  • Investigation plans sequencing evidence collection, analysis, interviews and reporting
  • Materiality assessments determining resources, specialists, timing and oversight intensity
  • Hypothesis testing using corroborating, conflicting and missing evidence
  • Risk-based scoping of entities, transactions, periods, personnel and jurisdictions
  • Decision logs recording scope changes, approvals, assumptions and emerging risks

Participants can protect relevant evidence and maintain a defensible record of its handling.

  • Legal holds preventing deletion of documents, emails, messages and records
  • Chain-of-custody logs recording collection, transfer, storage and access
  • Evidence registers linking items to allegations, sources and investigative questions
  • Document preservation priorities for payments, contracts, approvals and communications
  • Metadata review identifying document authorship, modification dates and transmission history
  • Secure case folders applying need-to-know access and retention rules

Participants can analyse financial records to identify anomalies and trace suspected misconduct.

  • Benford's Law screening for unusual digit patterns in transaction populations
  • Exception testing against approval limits, duplicate payments and split invoices
  • Three-way matching of purchase orders, goods receipts and supplier invoices
  • Related-party analysis using vendor ownership, addresses, bank accounts and contacts
  • Funds tracing from source transactions through accounts, beneficiaries and assets
  • Timeline analysis aligning payments, approvals, communications and relevant events

Participants can plan and conduct fair, structured investigative interviews.

  • PEACE model stages for planning, engagement, account and closure
  • Interview order based on evidence risks, witness influence and information value
  • Open questioning techniques eliciting accounts before presenting documents or contradictions
  • Cognitive interview prompts supporting accurate witness recall and chronology
  • Interview notes separating verbatim statements, observations and investigator interpretations
  • Subject interviews addressing procedural fairness, explanations and relevant evidence

Participants can manage third-party and digital evidence risks within an investigation plan.

  • Third-party due diligence files tested against ownership, sanctions and adverse media
  • Email review protocols using date ranges, custodians, keywords and privilege filters
  • Digital evidence collection coordinated with information security and legal counsel
  • Cross-border data transfers assessed against applicable privacy and employment requirements
  • Vendor interviews addressing intermediaries, agents, distributors and subcontractor conduct
  • Sanctions and corruption red flags within payment and contracting records

Participants can prepare investigation reports that support accountable governance decisions.

  • Findings matrices linking allegations, evidence, analysis, conclusions and confidence levels
  • Standards of proof explained for internal disciplinary and governance decisions
  • Fact, inference and opinion clearly distinguished within investigation reports
  • Report structures covering mandate, methodology, limitations, findings and recommendations
  • Executive summaries presenting material issues, exposure, decisions and immediate actions
  • Audit committee briefings addressing confidentiality, privilege and follow-up oversight

Participants can translate investigation findings into targeted control and governance improvements.

  • Root cause analysis using five whys, fishbone diagrams and control mapping
  • COSO Internal Control Framework applied to identified control deficiencies
  • Remediation plans assigning actions, owners, due dates and evidence requirements
  • Segregation-of-duties redesign for procurement, payments, journals and vendor maintenance
  • Management override controls addressing journals, approvals, access and reporting adjustments
  • Assurance testing verifying remediation design, implementation and operating effectiveness

Participants can close cases responsibly and establish an investigation improvement plan.

  • Case closure checklists confirming evidence, decisions, notifications and record retention
  • Disclosure decisions considering contractual, regulatory, insurer and stakeholder obligations
  • Lessons-learned reviews identifying recurring patterns, process gaps and training needs
  • Investigation metrics tracking intake volumes, closure times, substantiation and recurrence
  • Quality assurance reviews testing mandate adherence, documentation and reporting quality
  • Personal application plans identifying priority procedures, stakeholders and first actions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Investigation mandate template
  2. Allegation triage and risk-rating matrix
  3. Evidence preservation and chain-of-custody checklist
  4. Financial fraud-testing plan
  5. PEACE interview planning guide
  6. Findings and remediation action tracker

Who should attend

  • Internal Auditors — investigate control failures and report findings to audit committees
  • Compliance Officers — manage misconduct allegations, whistleblowing cases and regulatory concerns
  • Fraud Investigators — strengthen case planning, evidence handling and interview practice
  • Risk Managers — assess fraud exposures and track corrective action ownership
  • Legal and HR Managers — support fair investigations involving employees and third parties
  • Finance Leaders — address suspected financial misconduct, override and reporting irregularities

Skills and tools covered

Investigation planningEvidence managementFraud analysisInvestigative interviewingGovernance reportingControl remediation

Tools and standards

COSO Internal Control Framework, ISO 37001 Anti-bribery management systems, PEACE interviewing model, ACFE Fraud Tree

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short practitioner briefings to introduce governance, investigation and fraud-analysis methods. Participants examine case files, assess allegations, build investigation plans, review financial evidence and make escalation decisions in small groups. Interview simulations develop questioning, listening and note-taking discipline. Facilitated discussions test how legal, compliance, internal audit, HR and board stakeholders should interact. Each participant applies the methods to a workplace-relevant investigation scenario and develops a practical action plan for use after the course.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic financial controls, organisational reporting lines and common fraud risks. Experience in internal audit, compliance, finance, legal, risk, security, human resources or management is useful. Participants should be comfortable reading invoices, expense claims, payment records and basic financial reports. No prior investigative qualification, forensic-accounting credential, legal training, data-analytics expertise or interviewing certification is required. The course explains each investigation method before applying it to cases. It does not replace jurisdiction-specific legal advice or professional legal privilege guidance.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need a working understanding of business controls and common financial records. Prior investigation experience is helpful but not required; the course introduces the planning, evidence and interview methods used.

Bring a laptop if possible, plus examples of non-confidential investigation procedures, reporting formats or control issues from your organisation. Course materials and case documents are provided.

The course suits internal audit, compliance, fraud, risk, legal, HR, security and finance professionals. It also benefits managers who commission investigations or report to audit committees.

Forensic accounting courses focus more deeply on accounting evidence and loss quantification, while anti-money-laundering courses focus on customer, transaction-monitoring and reporting duties. This course focuses on governing internal investigations from allegation intake through findings, oversight and remediation.

Participants can use the mandate, triage, evidence, interview and reporting templates for current or future allegations. They can also review whether existing escalation, case-recording and remediation processes meet governance needs.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The five days progress from governance and triage through planning, evidence, analysis, interviews, reporting, remediation and case closure.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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