Geneva state mandates: elected officials denounce its arrogance

How does the Finance Commission welcome the report from the Court of Auditors on the management of purchases and external mandates? It was she who contacted the “financial policeman”. This is the opinion of four deputies on this report which pointed out numerous irregularities.

The results are worrying

The most virulent is MCG François Baertschi, who denounces “scandalous practices” and “chaotic management of public mandates”. Noting the “slicing of contracts”, “disguised subsidies” and “124 million spent without controls”, he believes that citizens are “despised”.

Laurent Seydoux (LJS) notes that “out of 110 cases analyzed, 98 are not compliant. Each case is not necessarily serious, but this neglect by a State which has a large number of civil servants is worrying. I asked what the penalties were for irregularities. There isn’t one. It’s crazy. My feeling is that there is not dishonesty, but inefficiency.”

For Jacques Béné (PLR), “the work was well done. Of course, the sample analyzed is not representative, but it shows that there are things to be said! We referred the matter to the Court of Auditors, because after the report from the Internal Audit Service (SAI), a public report was needed to have the right to discuss it, including between MPs!”

Caroline Marti (PS) also says she is worried that “processes are not respected, contracts are not signed. These do not appear to be isolated cases.”

The reaction of the Council of State calls out

“I want to hear Nathalie Fontanet, because the end of inadmissibility of the government is not legitimate,” continues Caroline Marti, informing that the Finance Commission will receive the President of the Council of State on Wednesday.

“It worries me that the results of the audit do not challenge the government more. For example, I don’t understand why he doesn’t want to make staff more aware of conflicts of interest. And why he refuses recommendations that he has actually already accepted after the SAI report. I can hear his reservations about the methodology. However, targeting risky purchases does not seem absurd at all.”

Jacques Béné, for his part, says he understands that the Council of State is angry, “because it has already taken measures and because the report leaves suspicion hanging by saying that the rules do not make it possible to rule out the risk of corruption”.

But, adds the deputy, “the Council of State is surely angry because it wants to keep control of these 200 million annual expenditures on external mandates, which offer State Councilors great budgetary freedom”.

Laurent Seydoux declares: “The reaction of the Council of State amazed us. He should have shown humility, because the Court verified compliance with the standards that the State had set for itself.”

In particular, the deputy heard the president recall that it was the Grand Council which wanted an independent to sit as president of the CPEG in place of a civil servant, to avoid a conflict of interest. “But this lawyer is paid 120,000 francs in addition to receiving attendance fees, the State offers him a double salary. This is unprecedented and abnormal, the Council of State is in denial!”

For François Baertschi, the Executive “is overflowing with arrogance by refusing to follow the recommendations which would fight against the State’s own excesses”.

And now?

In view of the government’s opposition, the Court of Auditors considers that the Finance Commission must know what action to take on the report. “To do this, we asked him for the details of the malfunctions,” explains Laurent Seydoux. Do they primarily concern a particular department? What exactly is it about? Do disguised subsidies stop with the Fischer affair or is it a habit? (editor’s note: fifteen cases have been reported)?»

“We will now listen to the Council of State so that it can explain to us what it has put in place and will put in place,” declares Jacques Béné. One thing is certain, we do not want a gas plant with controllers to control the controllers.”

An opinion shared by the four deputies. For Caroline Marti, “we should perhaps favor qualitative rather than quantitative controls”.

“The clearer and more standardized the rules are between all departments, the less there will be a need for controls,” assures François Baertschi. This standardization is also the prerequisite for the digitalization of the processes requested by the Court of Auditors. But each department works in its own corner and the administration seems to be afraid of change. We ask that the recommendations of the Court of Auditors be followed, which will make our institutions exemplary. We will not let our guard down.”

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Armanios go has been a journalist in the Geneva section since August 2022 and covers cantonal politics in particular.More info

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