When Anne sought an explanation from Mr Monroe，she was told that nobody could remember what the payment was for but that she had to recognise that ‘real’ audits were sometimes a bit messy and that not all audit trails would end as she might like them to. He also reminded her that it was the final day and both he and the audit firm were under time pressure to conclude business and get the audit signed off.

When Anne told Zachary what Frank had said，Zachary agreed not to get the audit signed off without Anne‘s support，but warned her that she should be very certain that the irregularity was worth delaying the signoff for. It was therefore now Anne’s decision whether to extend the audit or have it signed off by the end of Friday afternoon.

Required：

1.Explain why ‘auditor independence’ is necessary in auditor-client relationships and describe THREE threats to auditor independence in the case. (9 marks)

2.Anne is experiencing some tension due to the conflict between her duties and responsibilities as an employee of Fillmore Pierce and as a qualified professional accountant.