HIBAPRESS – Abdelatif Baraka
Official data confirmed that the Supreme Audit Council has begun a wide-ranging follow-up of various actors in public affairs, within the framework of activating the principle of linking responsibility to accountability. The number of people included in the legal prosecutions related to public funds cases reached 446 individuals, including elected officials, officials, employees, agents, and contractors.
These prosecutions include cases related to irregularities in the management of public resources, non-compliance with public procurement rules, and violations in the implementation of budgets, as well as multiple administrative and financial violations that have affected the proper functioning of public institutions and the level of services provided to citizens. This outcome is seen as an indicator of the regulatory institutions' will to enhance governance, transparency, and combat manifestations of financial corruption at various levels of administration. The prosecutions are distributed among individuals holding elected positions in territorial communities, officials in administrative departments, employees in some government departments, and implementation agents, in addition to contractors suspected of involvement in suspicious deals or illegal financial transactions. The relevant files have been referred to the competent judicial authorities after the Council carried out its supervisory role in examining accounts and preparing detailed reports on the recorded violations. Among the violations that were mentioned in the prosecutions, an inflation in unjustified expenses was recorded, awarding deals without respecting the law, and improper uses of public funds, which prompted the concerned authorities to issue decisions of legal accountability and financial accountability. Financial courts and the judiciary are working to consider these cases in accordance with the applicable legal frameworks, while giving the accused the opportunity to defend themselves in trial sessions. Observers believe that these extensive prosecutions represent a tangible development in the path of combating financial corruption, and that involving a large group of officials and contractors in judicial accountability reflects the state institutions' desire to consolidate a culture of transparency and accountability, and to ensure that there is no impunity. It is also a clear message that no one is above the law when it comes to public funds and the integrity of administrative work. It is expected that the monitoring and auditing campaigns by the Supreme Audit Council will continue in parallel with the activation of national strategies to combat corruption, which contributes to strengthening citizens' confidence in state institutions and building a more efficient and just public administration.
