i think it is a reasonable point to bring up.
from bitcountant website:
We take care of all that accounting and compliance stuff that must be done—from bookkeeping through financial reporting, to project valuation and regulatory compliance—so that you can focus on doing what it is that consumes your imagination and compelled you to get into this business.
so what 'external accounting' means in this case is more akin to 'contract accounting.' basically bitshares hired a consultant to do the books.
i think that many people thought it was more along the lines of 'external auditing,' which is, i think, what people are actually looking for. generally the industry standard (at least in my industry) is that external audits provide third-part verification. from my perspective, using a consultant accountant does not constitute third-party verification.