The SAO President commended O. Pishchanska for her reforms of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine and for strengthening its independence during the war

PRESS RELEASE ON THE SAO PRESIDENT’S AWARD CEREMONY – 7 October 2026

On Wednesday, 7 October 2025, the President of the Supreme Audit Office (SAO) Miloslav Kala presented the SAO President’s Award to three awardees at the SAO Headquarters in Prague. The award was bestowed on Olha Pishchanska, the Chairwoman of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine for her courageous pursuit of reforms and for strengthening the independence of Ukraine’s supreme audit institution despite the ongoing war. The award was also presented to Luboš Rokos, the Director of the Department of Financial Audits, who built up a team of financial auditors that became the benchmark for professional excellence in the Czech Republic. The last recipient of the award was the Adviser to the SAO President, Olga Málková, for a fundamental transformation of the Office’s strategic communication towards greater openness, clarity and an emphasis on the impact of audit findings.

“I recognised their ability to challenge established norms and to adapt to new, unexpected difficulties as well as their tenacity and courage in pushing for change despite the obstacles. The dedication and love they have for their work is, in my view, an inspiration, and not just to their colleagues,” said the President of SAO, Miloslav Kala.

Deputy Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Jiří Oberfalzer, expressed his views about the award presented to Olha Pishchanska, stating that audits are crucial even in wartime: “This is so that no one can exploit the situation and harm their country from within. It is also to maintain citizens’ trust in the state and the country’s credibility in the eyes of its partners and supporters.”

Olha Pishchanska played a significant role in reforming the inner workings of theAccounting Chamber of Ukraine. Thanks to the amendment to the law on the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, the institution’s audit powers were expanded and its independence strengthened. The Accounting Chamber is now able to audit a wider range of public funds, including local budgets, state and municipal enterprises, and foreign or international support. The reform also strengthened parliamentary oversight of the implementation recommended by the Accounting Chamber. At the same time, the work of the Accounting Chamber has been brought more into line with the standards of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). In practice, the changes were already evident in 2025, for example through the first comprehensive audit of local budgets or through the expansion of financial audits.

According to Miloslav Kala, Luboš Rokos has consistently demonstrated that effective leadership is based, above all, on setting an example and taking action. Together with his colleagues, he has made a significant contribution to shaping how the use of central government accounting is perceived, not only by the experts. He has also shown his professionalism on the international stage – Rokos has repeatedly represented the Supreme Audit Office in senior audit roles within organisations such as the European Space Agency or EUROCONTROL.

Lastly, the President of the SAO presented Olga Málková with the award for her outstanding contribution to communicating audit results. „She has always refused to accept that the results of the audits and all the hard work put into them by the auditors would simply gather dust in filing cabinets,“ said the President, assessing her efforts. In his eyes, Olga has been instrumental in transforming the way the Office presents the results of its work to the public. “Instead of using boring jargon, Olga speaks using compelling data and stories that open people’s eyes. She has long been striving to ensure that audit findings contribute to a more responsible use of public funds,” he added.

The design of the award was selected through a competition among students of the Department of Design at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague. The winning design by Marie Cikhartová uses the detail of the magnifying glass as a symbol of close and rigorous examination.

Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office

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