The municipality acted illegally, “is launched” 2.3m euros of people in courts

Due to non-recognition checks pending payment and management of public contracts, delays in completing subjects, legal uncertainty about paying additional/jubilary wages, etc., the Pristina municipality has lost to the 2.3m euros in court. This sum was paid in the name of judicial contexts, and in the name of interest in last year.

The National Audit Office has published the Report on Annual Financial Mirrors in Pristina for 2021. This report has also dedicated one chapter to money loss in judicial contexts.

“As a result of payments with judicial/final decisions, the Pristina municipality has paid on behalf of the passports and completion procedures worth 836,034 euros. In total payments including debt and interest amounted to 2,322,549 euros, where salary wages paid 697,691, for goods and services of 415,748, municipal services 1,837, and capital investments of 1,207,247. Also, during the audit of the subjects we found that seven (7) payments worth a total of 257,730, were not carried out within the 30-day legal deadline, but late eight (8) to 126 days”, the audience report said.

According to the audience, the impact of this is more than that the payments, including other handouts of completion, have caused additional costs by damaging the municipality budget

“The mayor must ensure that contract managers monitor and ensure that public contracts for jobs, supplies and services are being realised according to contractual conditions, including relevant payments”, the audit recommendation said.

During the audit, as noted in the report, the audience noted that the internal control system in the Pristina municipality had not functioned properly in most areas of financial management. The areas for improvement remain: presentation of financial information in the annual financial report, including displays in the form of explanatory notes, planning and budgetary implementation for capital investments, proper classification of expenses and payments through judicial decisions, the process of recruiting personnel, keeping office positions, public procurement procedures, and contract management, the process of subsidy, the exploitation of public property without compensation and no contracts, processes in the management of property tax and checking requirements for construction permits, with accounting and cash collection.

The issues raised and recommendations are intended to improve internal controls regarding financial reporting and compliance with authorities concerning public sector funds management.

This report has resulted in twenty-two recommendations, of which thirteen are new recommendations and nine repeated recommendations. /Periscopi/