Ignoring the actual value, Ministry of Finance assigned property to the Customs Administration
Press Release
June 21, 2007
The audit, performed by Supreme Audit Office, focused on management of the state property and budget funds earmarked for development and servicing of the technical and material bases of the Czech Customs Administration.
Auditors focused on years 2004 and 2005, including associated data from the previous time and the following period (till the end of the audit). The audited bodies were Ministry of Finance and General Directorate of Customs.
Ministry of Finance (MF) let their organisational body, General Directorate of Customs (GDC), put out separate statements of balances in spite the SAO had already pointed to this contravening of law. (For the context, see the report from auditing operation No. 99/09 entitled State Budget Funds and property of the General Directorate of Customs as well as the Customs Directorates and Offices).
„Before liquidating the General Directorate of Customs, Ministry of Finance did not inventory their obligations, and assigned the property to the forming Czech Customs Administration (CCA). Ministry of Finance neither ensured a decrease of cost limits of its bank accounts, worth over CZK 124 million, with the date of liquidation of GDC. Finally, Ministry of Finance paid almost CZK 1,5 million for lands that became its property six years after the transaction,“ said František Dohnal, president of the SAO.
The auditors discovered imperfections of the CCA as well. CCA did not prepare a preliminary balance on the date May 5, 2004. In some cases, they overlooked the fact, that they were a state organization body and should keep separate accounts since then. In addition, CCA dissolved assets worth over CZK 6 mil without discussing the matters at liquidation proceedings or the General Manager’s approval.
The auditing operation was included in the Annual Audit Plan of SAO for the year 2006 under No. 06/28. Rudolf Němeček, Member of the Board, controlled the auditing operation and drew up the audit report as well.
Radka Burketová
Press Speaker
Supreme Audit Office