米クラフト・ハインツ、会計不正で62百万ドルの罰金（CFOより）

Kraft Heinz Fined $62M for Accounting Fraud

米国の巨大食品会社クラフト・ハインツが、非現実的な売上原価削減のために、購買部門で会計不正をやっていたという記事。62百万ドルの罰金を支払うことになったそうです。

Kraft Heinz has agreed to pay $62 million to settle charges that its procurement division improperly managed expenses to deliver unrealistic cost savings and inflate profits.

会計不正は、2015年に490億ドルもの買収が行われ、クラフト・ハインツが形成された後に始まり、2018年まで続きました。3百件近くのミスリーディングな取引が行われ、本来であれば、50百万ドルがその間の売上原価に加算されるはずでした。

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said the alleged accounting fraud began after the $49 billion merger that formed Kraft Heinz in 2015 and continued until 2018. The fraud resulted in nearly 300 misleading transactions that, if they had been recorded properly, would have added $50 million to the company’s cost of goods sold during that time.

クラフト・ハインツ社が過年度またはその年度に行った事象の見返りにコストダウンが提供されたかのように見える仕入れ先との契約が、実は、将来の便益に対する前払い金でしかなかったとのことです。それにより、コストダウンを本来よりも前倒しして計上していました。

As part of the scheme, “supplier contracts that made it appear as if expense savings were provided in exchange for past or same-year events performed by KHC [Kraft Heinz Co.], when, in reality, they were upfront payments in exchange for a future benefit from KHC, in order to improperly recognize costs savings prematurely,” the SEC said in an administrative order.

元最高執行責任者と、元最高購買責任者にも、それぞれ30万ドルと10万ドルの罰金が課されています。

To settle the case, Kraft Heinz agreed to pay a penalty of $62 million while former Chief Operating Officer Eduardo Pelleissone and former Chief Procurement Officer Klaus Hofmann will pay fines of $300,000 and $100,000, respectively.

このケースの詳細はわかりませんが、例えば、販促費用の一部を仕入れ先に負担させるというような場合に、費用発生と仕入れ先負担（原価からのマイナス）が同時か、費用発生が先行していれば問題ありません。しかし、実際に販促を行う前から仕入れのマイナスにしてしまっては、売上原価過少計上になってしまいます。要するに、仕入値引の先行計上です。日本の会社でも、起こりうる不正でしょう。

それにしても、ウォーレン・バフェットの会社の投資先にしては、せこい会計不正です。

SECのプレスリリース。
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SEC Charges The Kraft Heinz Company and Two Former Executives for Engaging in Years-Long Accounting Scheme（SEC）

According to the SEC's order, from the last quarter of 2015 to the end of 2018, Kraft engaged in various types of accounting misconduct, including recognizing unearned discounts from suppliers and maintaining false and misleading supplier contracts, which improperly reduced the company's cost of goods sold and allegedly achieved "cost savings." Kraft, in turn, touted these purported savings to the market, which were widely covered by financial analysts. The accounting improprieties resulted in Kraft reporting inflated adjusted "EBITDA," a key earnings performance metric for investors. In June 2019, after the SEC investigation commenced, Kraft restated its financials, correcting a total of $208 million in improperly-recognized cost savings arising out of nearly 300 transactions.