The Role of Internal Control on Financial Fraud: Evidence of Pre-Fraud and Post-Punishment from Chinese Firms

Our study is the first to provide systematic evidence of the internal control (IC) prevention and punishment effect on financial fraud (FF). We examine the pre-fraud and post-punishment IC of Chinese firms. Results show that the lower the firm’s IC, the greater the possibility of FF. We find that IC five elements have different prevention effects. Information and communication cannot prevent FF, while the other four can. Executive compensation, audit fees and earnings management can weaken the negative correlation between IC and FF, while independent director attendance can strengthen the negative correlation between them. In addition, the IC of fraudulent firms has been improved after punishment. This article extends the role of IC and its five elements in FF and the response of IC to punishment, providing country-specific evidence for other emerging market research about IC prevent FF.