The audience scatters violations at institutions in the pandemic year

The general audience has launched publication of separate reports for institutions for 2020. The published reports include several Kosovo municipalities, ministries and independent state agencies.

Coronervirus' gap, which started spreading to Kosovo in March 2020, according to some institutions' representatives, has affected overall labour capacity as well as some of the registered irregularities.

Besim Osmani, the General Auditor, told Radio Free Europe that the audience's findings, largely concerned the way public money is spent through tenders.

The key principles related to compliance, with demands and the process of being transparent” are raised, he said.

So far, the audience has published reports on the municipality of Gjilan, Ranillug and Lipjan, as well as on company agencies such as “Trainkos”, the Ministry of Trade and Industry Anti-Corruption Agency.

In the municipality of Gjilan, the audience found that the municipality had awarded a tender to a company that had failed to meet one of the tender criteria.

While in Lipjan, the audience found that over 60 thousand euros from the money municipal means for management of pandemics were destined for other municipal projects that did not concern COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the municipal company “Trainos”, which is tasked with providing services for transportation of travellers and goods, had also done the sale of oil to the public company “Infracos”, an act this outside the company's legal statute.

How did pandemic affect irregularities in institutions?

Unlike past years, officials from the National Audition Office have had to make auditing under exceptional conditions, respectively, in the state of pandemic.

Although the violations recorded in the audience reports affect recurring areas and problems over the years, some of these troubles found are being attributed to pandemic.

In the Gjilan municipality, according to the audience, in a tender worth 570,000 euros, it has been noted that the chairman of the commission for assessment of the tender bids was also appointed project manager for the contract.

According to the clarifications of municipal officials, this occurred after it was an pandemic time and there were no other officials who accepted the position.

Despite this, in general, the audience has positively assessed the municipality's financial mirrors, and this is viewed as very positive as the mayor of the Gjilan municipality, the Haziri War.

The budget year report for Gjilan is extremely positive, eventually better than last year's report. Out of 14 recommendations, 12 are old and two are new, which are implemented”, he said.

Haziri says that the pandemic COVID-19 may have influenced some of the issues highlighted by the audience.

“Of course a number of issues have been linked to budgetary costs and fast-track contracts in line with the pandemic and the measures they have taken, whether the Government is a municipal level, to cope with the issues of pandemic”, he said.

The Lipjan municipality also experienced trouble because of the pandemic. The reduced staff was one of the community's reasons for disrespecting the procurement plan for that year.

Lipjan Community officials have been unable to comment on the matter.

Should the disobedience recorded by the audience be punished?
The violations the General Auditor finds in institutions range from administrative violations to criminal cases.

According to the general audience, Besnik Osmani, in many cases where administrative violations are found, requires improvement from the institution in question, while there are cases where the cases recorded end up in the prosecutor.

“As far as sanctions are concerned, when our reports result with findings and recommendations, which are in the first instance, the heads of institutions themselves must act to take adequate steps”, he said.

The audience's findings, and especially those for municipalities, are seeing Arifi's stance as very disturbing by nongovernmental INPO.

We see that many findings, especially those in the field of public procurement, are almost identical finds that INPO monitors. So you can't find a municipality that doesn't get recommendations from the public procurement field”, Arifi said.

According to him, it should be not only with the identity of violations, but in cases of corruption and serious wrongdoing, there must be real sanctions.