29.04.2021

OUT OF 22 LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN RS, 16 INTRODUCES MANDATORY REVIEW OF AUDIT REPORTS

DONJI ŽABAR, ISTOČNI DRVAR AND KRUPA ON UNA ALSO INTRODUCE THE OBLIGATION TO REVIEW AUDIT REPORTS

This year, 22 local self-government units in Republika Srpska will be audited by the Republika Srpska Public Sector Audit Office. However, although audit reports are a good basis for analyzing current and creating future local community programs, there is currently no statutory obligation for local parliaments to consider them. Without considering these reports, there is no control over the spending of public money by local institutions.

On this occasion, the Centers for Civil Initiatives sent an initiative to all local parliaments whose municipalities / cities will be audited to publish before the audit reports - they will be before the members of local parliaments who will consider them and initiate the implementation of audit recommendations on possible shortcomings and irregularities in public spending. money.

By the end of April, the initiative to include the review of the report in the annual work programs was accepted by 16 local self-government units in Republika Srpska (Prijedor, East Sarajevo, Kalinovik, Novi Grad, Berkovici, Srbac, Brod, Vukosavlje, Kozarska Dubica, Laktasi, Trnovo, Pale , Ugljevik, Donji Žabar, Istočni Drvar, Krupa na Uni), while the response of the remaining 6 units (Šipovo, Oštra Luka, Sokolac, Doboj, Bijeljina, Banja Luka) is awaited.

The CCI recalls that auditors, through their reports each year, draw attention to a number of irregularities they spot in local communities, proposing concrete recommendations on how to address shortcomings and improve efficiency and accountability in the public sector. However, in order to achieve the same, it is necessary for local parliaments to follow the audit reports, further analyze the identified irregularities, and ensure monitoring of the implementation of recommendations, all in order to eliminate the identified shortcomings.

It is gratifying that by accepting the initiative and including it in the annual work programs of mandatory review of audit reports, local parliaments have taken on the role of overseeing the implementation of audit recommendations. This will further affect the greater responsibility of institutions to implement the submitted recommendations, which would ultimately ensure economical, transparent and responsible spending of public money, which is the ultimate goal of the audit, which is impossible to achieve without the involvement of other institutions.

Audit reports can achieve real effects and results only with the control of the legislature, and we expect that the remaining 6 local self-government units in Republika Srpska, which will be audited this year, will follow positive examples and introduce the obligation to consider audit reports.

The project "More Effective Public Audit to Reduce Corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina" is implemented by the Centers for Civil Initiatives (CCI) with the financial support of Sweden. The project aims to contribute to more responsible spending of budget funds and reduction of corruption in public institutions in BiH