Maksim Acevski: Audit reports should form basis for criminal charges, not only expert analyses

Maksim Acevski, head of the State Audit Office, called on prosecutors and other institutions to treat final audit reports as a direct basis for criminal charges instead of only ordering expert analyses, during the opening of a regional anti‑corruption forum held today and tomorrow in Skopje.

Acevski: audits must lead to action, not only to expert opinions

Speaking at the Regional Forum for Prevention of Corruption and Risk Assessment in the Western Balkans, Acevski said corruption and crime within the state apparatus have existed and will continue to exist, but that stronger cooperation and legal changes can reduce them to an acceptable level.

"Crime and corruption in the public administration have existed and will exist. But, we must strive to reduce it to an acceptable level and at the same time we must build the capacities of our employees, build the knowledge and skill of our employees, to detect as many of these situations as possible and to have developed skills for detecting such conditions in the direction of prevention. The greatest investment is in prevention," Acevski said.

He argued that findings in State Audit Office reports are frequently ignored by investigative bodies, which instead order forensic expertises after receiving an audit report. "I believe there is a certain situation that we must overcome in the next period and that is in the part of what an audit report means. It should represent a basis for filing a final charge and not a basis for expert analysis by the Public Prosecutor's Office, because the Public Prosecutor's Office, upon receiving the audit report, orders an expert analysis of the established conditions and that must be overcome. The final audit report must be given treatment as evidence for undertaking certain prosecutorial activities. With changes and the adoption of the new Law on State Audit, the possibility is being established for the State Audit Office to impose appropriate misdemeanor measures for failure to act on given recommendations," he said.

Acevski noted that many institutions do respond to audit recommendations, but that response alone is not enough. He pointed to three audit cases — the Oncology Clinic, the state Lottery, and the hospital in Prilep — which are already subject to court proceedings where the charges rest on auditors' findings.

Antonio Milososki, Vice‑President of the Assembly, urged that audit reports receive public parliamentary consideration rather than being handled only by the Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee. "It mostly depends on the Finance and Budget Committee as a working body which is expert in that part. Whenever an audit report attracts attention it must be examined and examining it in a plenary session has special importance for us, because as MPs we become aware of certain possible deviations and give additional publicity to the State Audit Office reports," Milososki said.

Swedish Ambassador Ola Solström underlined that strong attention to prevention and anti‑corruption work is critical because it reinforces democracy. The forum, organised by the State Audit Office, runs over two days in Skopje.

Photo: press material from the event