Tag: News in Brief

With governments around the world spending massive sums to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) have a key role to play in detecting and preventing fraud. To share knowledge and best practices, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) held an international webinar on September 15, 2021, on “Auditing for Fraud: Experiences, Tools and Techniques, and Looking Ahead.” The virtual event, which attracted approximately 260 attendees, was…

The Algerian Court of Accounts (COA) participated in the following international events from June to September 2021…

In July 2021, the State Audit Office (SAO) of Hungary published a report on a compliance and performance audit it conducted on emerging epidemics and vaccination coverage. The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have made the findings of the audit…

In 2020, the Office of the Comptroller General of the State of Ecuador conducted its first-ever internal survey on gender equality. The survey asked 1,553 public servants within the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) about their awareness of the issue; the organizational culture; the prevalence of workplace harassment; and the need for gender equality policies. These efforts reflect…

Effective March 30, 2021, following unanimous approval by the House of Representatives, President of Malta Dr. George Vella re-appointed Auditor General Charles Deguara to a second five-year term, in accordance with the Constitution. The Maltese Deputy Auditor General, Noel Camilleri, was similarly re-appointed for a second five-year term. During their first mandate…

The Office of the Auditor General of the Union (OAG), Myanmar’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), recently launched two internal courses: a refresher course for staff officers, and a capacity-building course for senior auditors, with 109 and 58 participants, respectively. The goals of the two-month-long courses—led by five Deputy Directors and an Assistant Director—are to…

The Turkish Court of Accounts recently completed a peer review of the Chamber of Accounts of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in January 2021. The peer review determined that…

The Turkish Court of Accounts (TCA), the country’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), is finalizing an update to its Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) process, which will enable it to carry out its activities more efficiently and effectively. This update aligns with…

In 2021, the Accounts Committee for Control over the Execution of the Republican Budget (“Accounts Committee”)—the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI)—celebrates its 25th anniversary. The Accounts Committee conducts comprehensive, independent assessments of the activities of government entities, with the aim of identifying shortcomings, managing risk, and making recommendations for more effective performance. Since its inception in 1996…

The State Audit Office of the Kingdom of Thailand (SAO) has been carefully monitoring the government’s response to the pandemic. This response has included establishing the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), regulating medical supplies, developing tracking applications, and preparing vaccinations.
Under the leadership of Auditor General Prajuck Boonyoung, SAO Thailand has…

To promote a culture of ethics, probity, and transparency in public administration, the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Guatemala recently released a mobile app, available for iOS and Android, which enables citizens themselves to…

A major focus of the State Audit Office (SAO) of Georgia is to examine the effectiveness of the government’s public debt management. To that end, SAO Georgia conducted an audit in 2020 to follow up on…

On March 17, 2021, Mr. Abdelkader Benmarouf, President of the Algerian Court of Accounts (COA), chaired a meeting of the African Union Board of External Auditors held by videoconference. During the meeting…

The Commission on Audit (COA), the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of the Philippines, won first place at the professional level in the Hackathon BPK Competition—whose theme was…

The rapidly evolving pace of AI makes it necessary to establish a framework to independently verify AI systems (even as the technology continues to advance). The global accountability community needs a toolkit to evaluate this ever-changing technology, and, more importantly, organizations that build, purchase, and deploy AI need a framework to understand how AI systems will be evaluated. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), recognizing the urgent need for AI governance…

On May 25, 2021, Mr. Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, led a virtual discussion group on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 30 organizations—including INTOSAI organizations and 21 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), donor and civil society organizations, and United Nations organizations and observers—contributed to the dialogue. The group stems from…

Recently, SAI Costa Rica has moved toward an innovative approach—the use of artificial intelligence (AI)—to auditing public procurement of goods and services. The SAI carried out two audits using AI in 2020 and plans to…

The Accountability State Authority of Egypt (ASA) participated from March 22 to April 23, 2021, in the financial audit of the African Union and affiliated institutions for fiscal year 2020. Egypt has been a permanent member of…

In December 2020, the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania passed a new version of the Law on National Audit Office, establishing a legal regulation in line with current requirements for public audits. The new version of the law, which comes into effect on July 1, 2021, provides for the functional, organizational, and financial independence of the National Audit Office of Lithuania (NAOL), will enable NAOL to…

On January 14, 2021, Rolands Irklis was appointed Auditor General of the Republic of Latvia by the Saeima (Parliament of Latvia) and was sworn in to begin his 4-year term on January 28, 2021. Mr. Irklis brings rich experience from positions held in both the public and private sectors, including…

To ensure public sector institutions are functioning properly and at a reasonable cost, the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Latvia is enhancing its collaboration with the internal auditors of these entities. The SAI is currently working directly with internal auditors from…

His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, appointed Dasho Tashi as the new Auditor General of the Royal Audit Authority—the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Bhutan—on October 14, 2020. Dasho Tashi is the third Auditor General appointed under the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The Auditor General of the Royal Audit Authority is selected by the King from a list of…