Väärarvutamine

väärarvutamine is a term used primarily in Estonian accounting, finance, and legal contexts. It refers to the deliberate alteration or manipulation of numerical data in financial statements or reports. The intent behind väärarvutamine can range from inflating revenue figures, understating expenses, or disguising losses, to more sophisticated schemes such as creating fictitious transactions or misclassifying liabilities. This practice is considered fraudulent and is prohibited under Estonian commercial law and the country's financial reporting standards.

The key difference between väärarvutamine and ordinary errors is intent: accidental mistakes are typically corrected and disclosed, whereas intentional falsification is prosecuted as financial fraud. Regulators, such as the Financial Supervisory Authority of Estonia (Finantsinspektsioon), monitor for signs of väärarvutamine through audits, whistleblower reports, and statistical analyses of financial data. Penalties can include civil fines, criminal charges, and removal from the market for corporate entities. Public awareness of väärarvutamine has increased since major corporate scandals in the past decade, prompting stricter internal controls and compliance requirements in Estonian businesses.