Olympus Corp. should investigate payments made to advisers in connection with an acquisition, according to an external auditor's report.
The company may face scrutiny by regulatory and prosecuting authorities because of potential offenses, including false accounting, financial assistance and breaches of directors' duties by the board, according to an Oct. 11 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The report was commissioned by Michael Woodford, whom Olympus fired as president on Friday. Chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa said the board fired Woodford, a 30-year veteran of the Japanese company, because he "wouldn't listen."