During her meeting with Arūnas Dulkys, the new head of the National Audit Office, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė stressed the need to ensure transparency in the use of the state budget funds and the European Union's (EU) funds, audits of public institutions, assessment of fiscal policy, and control of Lithuania's budget policy.
Dalia Grybauskaitė
© DELFI / Kiril Čachovskij

According to the president, routines audits are not sufficient in order to ensure a transparent use of public funds. Once it receives any information about cases of potential abuses and pocketing, the National Audit Office must react promptly and carry out expeditious audits at its own initiative.

"The National Audit Office must act as a certain watchdog of public funds, protecting them and ensuring a transparent and responsible use of funds, preventing any cases of abuses and pocketing. It must also take preventive measures so that funds from the state budget do not become a source for cashing in," the president is quoted in the presidential press service's release.

A study conducted by the National Audit Office in early 2015 revealed a common but vicious practice when public servants conclude additional job contracts with an institution which is already their employer. According to Grybauskaitė, such practice of paying twice for the same job is not in line with transparency requirements set out for public servants and prevents ensuring a rational use of the EU funds.


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