Cartel audit going wrong, it's said (11)
I believe the answer is:
articulated
'said' is the definition.
('articulate' can be a synonym of 'say')
'cartel audit going wrong' is the wordplay.
'going wrong' indicates anagramming the letters.
'cartel'+'audit'='cartelaudit'
'cartelaudit' with letters rearranged gives 'ARTICULATED'.
'it's' is the link.
(Other definitions for articulated that I've seen before include "Type of lorry" , "Linked" , "suitable for express delivery primarily" , "did express, clearly" , "Pronounced (words) clearly" .)