The Supreme Audit Office of the Republic of Srpska Public Sector celebrated 25 years since its establishment. The Ceremonial academy, held in the Administrative Center of the Government of Republika Srpska, was attended by representatives of the legislative and executive authorities, independent institutions, supreme audit institutions from the region and Europe, the media, and employees of the Supreme Audit Office.
Auditor General Jovo Radukić recalled the history of the Supreme Audit Office and emphasized that the establishment of the Supreme Audit Institution was a significant step in terms of building the institutional capacities of the Republic of Srpska, democratic and parliamentary supervision over the use of public resources and public finances, and a higher level of public and professional responsibility.
“Since its establishment, the Supreme Audit Office has conducted more than 1,700 audit engagements. In 25 years, it has transformed from an institution that learned from others to an institution whose results and practices are visible and presented to the wider social and audit community, with very clear and expressed ambitions for the future. We welcome the year of our jubilee with a respectable capacity, the largest number of audit engagements since its inception, with a recognizable contribution to the institutional development of the Republic of Srpska and financial management in the public sector,” said Auditor General Jovo Radukić.
During its 25 years of existence, the Supreme Audit Office has made a significant contribution to improving the budget system and financial reporting, more effectively implementing planned strategies and policies or their adoption, more economical and transparent management of public funds, and preservation of the economic and fiscal stability of the Republic of Srpska.
“Independence, as one of the basic values, without which there is not even a supreme audit institution, was and remains a key challenge throughout the duration of the Supreme Audit Office. From the very beginnings and an undefined professional framework, then unclear or imprecise legal provisions, collisions in jurisdictions, through pressures in the form of imposed decisions of the Office of the High Representative in BiH, continuously taking into account the resistance of the audited subjects and the presence of a certain degree of public misunderstanding, incorrectly formulated expectations in terms of investigative and judicial activity, periodically weakly expressed parliamentary interest – all of these are threats or risks to the independence of the auditing institution. The Supreme Audit Office has become recognizable for its work and influence on improving the financial management and control system in the public sector and constitutes another feature of the statehood of the Republic of Srpska”, added Auditor General Jovo Radukić.
The President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska Nenad Stevandić, the Minister of Finance in the Government of the Republic of Srpska Zora Vidović, and the President of the State Audit Institution of the Republic of Serbia Duško Pejović addressed those present.
Auditor General Jovo Radukić awarded individual charters to the President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik, the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska Nenad Stevandić, the Minister of Finance in the Government of the Republic of Srpska Zora Vidović, the Swedish State Audit Office as well as to Zoran Tegeltija for the period in which he held the office of minister of Finance in the Government of the Republic of Srpska and Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska and Željka Cvijanović for the period in which she held the positions of Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Srpska and President of the Republic of Srpska.
Individual certificates of appreciation for successful cooperation in the field of public sector auditing were awarded to the State Audit Institution of the Republic of Serbia, the Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic, the Faculty of Economics of the University of Banja Luka, the Association of Accountants and Auditors of the Republic of Srpska, the Association of Municipalities and Cities of the Republic of Srpska, the Voice of Srpska and the mission of the United Nations in BiH. Acknowledgments for outstanding contributions to the Supreme Audit Office work were awarded to nine employees and former employees.
During the cultural and artistic program, the ethnic group “Iva” performed.
