Auditor-General Lin Ching-long (林慶隆) expressed hope yesterday that the country’s auditing functions and standards would improve after the new Control Yuan members take their posts next month.
Lin’s remarks echoed those of Control Yuan President-designate Wang Chien-shien, who said on Tuesday that better control and implementation of audit rights would be the organization’s priority during his six-year tenure.
Wang said that as auditing has a wide influence on the government’s operations, improving auditing implementation would help prevent abuse of government budgets.
The Control Yuan, the nation’s top supervisory organization tasked with monitoring senior officials’ integrity, exercises the power of impeachment and censure. It also has audit rights through the Ministry of Audit, which supervises the budgets of all government organizations.
Lin said that the ministry examined the budget projects of 8,757 units of central and local governments last year, with the amount examined totaling NT$14.11 trillion (US$464.4 billion).
The ministry submitted to the Control Yuan five cases of serious financial irregularities and 34 cases relating to unfulfilled duties or low efficiency last year, Lin said
However, the cases have piled up at the Control Yuan as its operations have been suspended since Jan. 31, 2005, as a result of domestic political wrangling.
Former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) list of Control Yuan nominations was repeatedly rejected by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-controlled legislature.
Lin expressed hope that the situation would improve after Wang and the 24 incoming Control Yuan members assume office on Aug. 1. The new members will be tasked with a backlog of more than 32,000 cases awaiting investigation.
Lin said the ministry would seek to improve its performance by carrying out stricter auditing processes, promoting a more thorough financial supervisory system, enhancing personnel training and implementing audit reforms.
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