Federation of BiH still without parliamentary audit committee

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Centres of Civic Initiatives warn that the blockade of the oversight role of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH over the spending of public funds and the legality and efficiency of the work of institutions under the jurisdiction of the Federal Audit Office continues.

Although last week, on 13 February 2020, at the fifth session of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the FBiH, seven members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee responsible for audit were elected, out of 14 members it has, at yesterday's (19.02.2020.), all-day, 11th regular session of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, the remaining seven were not elected, although, in the discussion on the agenda, the current situation, in a new context, was called a disgrace, the CCI announced.

"Instead of completing the Committee, the leadership of the House of Representatives dealt with unconvincing excuses, repeated postponements, complicating a completely simple situation and shifting responsibility to the House of Peoples. Two years have passed since the last session of the joint parliamentary audit committee. Neither the committee, nor the Parliament, nor any of its houses, have considered the audit reports for 2017, nor for 2018, and the Audit Office is already working on audit reports for 2019. By its inaction, the Parliament thus renders the work of the Audit Office meaningless. And it favours the spread of space for unpunished violation of the law and corruption within government institutions or those they should control," the CCI believes. 

The Centres of Civic Initiatives insist on stopping further procrastination of this process, on the parliamentary audit committee, which has an extremely important social function, finally being formed and starting to work. And at least partially remedying the consequences of a two-year vacuum in its own work and that of the Parliament on these issues.