An Internal Auditor Is Conducting a Review of the Procurement

An internal auditor is conducting a review of the procurement function and uncovers a potential conflict of interest between the chief operating officer and a significant supplier of IT software development services. Which of the following actions is most appropriate for the internal auditor to take?

A) Inform the audit supervisor.
B) Investigate the potential conflict of interest.
C) Inform the external auditors of the potential conflict of interest.
D) Disregard the potential conflict, because it is outside the scope of the audit assignment.