MPs discuss DRI budget report

Six months after it was made public, the State Auditing Institution (DRI) report on budget spending in 2008 is today finally discussed by MPs in parliament. DRI Council President Radoslav Sretenovic, PM Mirko Cvetkovic, Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic and other minister are all attending the session. MPs discuss DRI budget report This, however, will not be an ordinary debate because it has been decided that the report, which points to many irregularities in the way the ministries have been spending the taxpayers’ money, is discussed on the day reserved for MP questions. Such format of the debate was proposed by the ruling DS-led parliamentary group "For European Serbia", with the parliament speaker quoted as saying earlier today that it would not diminish its quality. “As long as MPs ask the questions there will be opportunity for answers. I suppose that the PM, the finance minister and the auditor have seriously prepared themselves for the public, to give answers and possibly explain something which has not been clear so far regarding the final report,” Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic stated. “They should be answering the questions for the total of three hours and when they are done – and that’s actually a full working day – the session will be finished,” she said. Opposition parties insisted late last year that the DRI report be discussed together with the 2010 budget draft, but the initiative was rejected for procedural reasons. The speaker also said that it was not parliament’s obligation to discuss the DRI report, but only the Finance Committee’s, which has already given its assessment. The auditor has filed 19 misdemeanor charges for unscrupulous spending of the budget money, and those mostly concern current and former ministers. Cvetkovic and Dragutinovic in parliament today (Tanjug) "No pressures" Cvetkovic told MPs that the government has been cooperating with the State Auditing Institution (DRI) since the very beginning, and added that there has been no pressure on their work. Cvetkovic pointed out that all the budget users whose work was controlled by the DRI put effort to provide the institution with all required information in the process of the audit of spending the budget funds. “We wanted, and it was requested of all budget users, to give all the necessary information and provide the DRI with all the needed data,” the prime minister said. According to him, the issue of the state audit is of great importance for democratization of the society, since it should show where the funds of taxpayers are spent as well as possible omissions which are made. Cvetkovic also stated that during the audit of the final account of the 2008 budget, DRI ascertained that no intention was registered which would imply illegal profit or any other criminal act. Cvetkovic said that he was ready to sack the ministers in case the DRI would determine that there is a reason for pressing criminal charges, but added that he did not do that since only misdemeanor charges were filed. The prime minister reminded that most of the reported misdemeanors were of procedural nature or inherited, so there was no reason for anyone to resign or to be withdrawn. He stated that there was no excessive expenditure of the budget funds in 2008, and added that even less money was spent than envisaged by the budget rebalance for that year. Answering a question of oppositin SNS leader Tomislav Nikolic, Cvetkovic pointed out that the rebalance of the 2008 budget envisaged expenditures of around RSD 695.9bn, and that only RSD 667.8bn was spent. “The funds spent from the 2008 budget coincide with the amount of money approved by the parliament,” the prime minister underlined. DRI's Radoslav Sretenovic confirmed that no pressure was put on the institution during the audit, neither by political parties, nor by government or some other state bodies. DSS: Parliament session staged Chief of opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) parliamentary group Milos Aligrudic stated that today’s session was "staged and meaningless". “The ruling majority has questions prepared in advance, which the ministers from the government will answer. They will serve each other and they will get a free press conference of extended duration held by the parliamentary group 'For European Serbia',” he said. Speaking during the DSS press conference held in the parliament hall, Aligrudic said that there could be no quality discussion within the time envisaged by the Rules of Procedure, and that there was no discussion about the final account for 2008 even though the State Auditing Institution (DRI) had submitted the report. “The report has not been put on the agenda even to this today. Under such circumstances, it is meaningless to sit in the hall and for one, or possibly two DSS MPs ask some questions,” Aligrudic pointed out, and added that there were conditions for parliament to discuss the final account for 2008 during the session. Milos Aligrudic in parliament today (Tanjug)

MPs discuss DRI budget report

This, however, will not be an ordinary debate because it has been decided that the report, which points to many irregularities in the way the ministries have been spending the taxpayers’ money, is discussed on the day reserved for MP questions.

Such format of the debate was proposed by the ruling DS-led parliamentary group "For European Serbia", with the parliament speaker quoted as saying earlier today that it would not diminish its quality.

“As long as MPs ask the questions there will be opportunity for answers. I suppose that the PM, the finance minister and the auditor have seriously prepared themselves for the public, to give answers and possibly explain something which has not been clear so far regarding the final report,” Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović stated.

“They should be answering the questions for the total of three hours and when they are done – and that’s actually a full working day – the session will be finished,” she said.

Opposition parties insisted late last year that the DRI report be discussed together with the 2010 budget draft, but the initiative was rejected for procedural reasons.

The speaker also said that it was not parliament’s obligation to discuss the DRI report, but only the Finance Committee’s, which has already given its assessment.

The auditor has filed 19 misdemeanor charges for unscrupulous spending of the budget money, and those mostly concern current and former ministers.

"No pressures"

Cvetković told MPs that the government has been cooperating with the State Auditing Institution (DRI) since the very beginning, and added that there has been no pressure on their work.

Cvetković pointed out that all the budget users whose work was controlled by the DRI put effort to provide the institution with all required information in the process of the audit of spending the budget funds.

“We wanted, and it was requested of all budget users, to give all the necessary information and provide the DRI with all the needed data,” the prime minister said.

According to him, the issue of the state audit is of great importance for democratization of the society, since it should show where the funds of taxpayers are spent as well as possible omissions which are made.

Cvetković also stated that during the audit of the final account of the 2008 budget, DRI ascertained that no intention was registered which would imply illegal profit or any other criminal act.

Cvetković said that he was ready to sack the ministers in case the DRI would determine that there is a reason for pressing criminal charges, but added that he did not do that since only misdemeanor charges were filed.

The prime minister reminded that most of the reported misdemeanors were of procedural nature or inherited, so there was no reason for anyone to resign or to be withdrawn.

He stated that there was no excessive expenditure of the budget funds in 2008, and added that even less money was spent than envisaged by the budget rebalance for that year.

Answering a question of oppositin SNS leader Tomislav Nikolić, Cvetković pointed out that the rebalance of the 2008 budget envisaged expenditures of around RSD 695.9bn, and that only RSD 667.8bn was spent.

“The funds spent from the 2008 budget coincide with the amount of money approved by the parliament,” the prime minister underlined.

DRI's Radoslav Sretenović confirmed that no pressure was put on the institution during the audit, neither by political parties, nor by government or some other state bodies.

DSS: Parliament session staged

Chief of opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) parliamentary group Miloš Aligrudić stated that today’s session was "staged and meaningless".

“The ruling majority has questions prepared in advance, which the ministers from the government will answer. They will serve each other and they will get a free press conference of extended duration held by the parliamentary group 'For European Serbia',” he said.

Speaking during the DSS press conference held in the parliament hall, Aligrudić said that there could be no quality discussion within the time envisaged by the Rules of Procedure, and that there was no discussion about the final account for 2008 even though the State Auditing Institution (DRI) had submitted the report.

“The report has not been put on the agenda even to this today. Under such circumstances, it is meaningless to sit in the hall and for one, or possibly two DSS MPs ask some questions,” Aligrudić pointed out, and added that there were conditions for parliament to discuss the final account for 2008 during the session.