President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Mr Ivan Brajović and the President of the Senate of the State Audit Institution, Mr Milan Dabović, signed today the Protocol on Cooperation, defining measures for the improvement of mutual cooperation in order to achieve effective budgetary control and promote accountability, transparency and good governance in the field of public finances.
President Brajović emphasised that public attention has been, quite logically, directed particularly towards the disposal of state budget funds, and that was how things should be.
- The task of the state is to show the citizens that it has been managing public finances publicly and responsibly. In accordance with the Protocol, the SAI will provide professional support to MPs while exercising their legislative and oversight role, and the Parliament will within its competences support SAI and contribute to continued performance of SAI's mission in an independent and expert manner. With this document, a step forward for both state institutions has been made for them to be better, more efficient, and more open – the President of the Parliament explained the significance of the Protocol.
He also referred to the cooperation regarding the multiannual neglect in spending of parliamentary funds, which was also stated in the official report of the State Audit Institution for 2016, followed with the investigation of the Prosecution Office. The internal audit also determined and forwarded the report to SAI stating that there were also some financial peculations present during 2014 and 2015 as well. Mr Brajović said that the competent authorities have been doing their job, and the Parliament has applied the SAI recommendations, thus significantly improving the managing of finance and the entire Parliament Service.
The President of the SAI Senate said that the State Audit Institution will by signing the Protocol pay special attention to the suggestions of the Parliament when adopting the Annual Audit Plan, submit individual audits when a conditional and negative opinion has been pronounced, provide the Parliament with all the information relevant to the quality of the discussion, regarding the use of public funds. SAI will also increase its participation in the work of the working bodies of the Parliament, especially during control or consultative hearings. Mr Dabović pointed out that the confidence in the work of the State Audit Institution, the Parliament of Montenegro demonstrated with its relation towards the recommendations with regard to the Final Statement of the Budget of Montenegro, by unanimously supporting annual reports provided by the State Audit Institution, which represented the centerpiece of discussion in the Parliament regarding the Final Budget Statement.
- We are witnesses to the Parliament of Montenegro being itself the subject of the audit and that, having respected the recommendations of the State Audit Institution, it approached to the implementation of these recommendations in a conscientious and responsible manner – stated the President of the SAI Senate.
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Text of the ProtocolSpeech of the President of the Pariament, Mr Ivan Brajović
Speech of the President of the Senate of the State Audit Institution, Mr Milan Dabović
Questions and answers to the media
Cover shots – Parliament and SAI sign the Protocol on Cooperation
