LThe Court of Auditors points to a certain laxity in the current financial management of the Walloon parliament, reports Saturday La Libre Belgique. The body analyzed the 2023 accounts of parliament and issued several criticisms.
The Court of Auditors thus notes that the office of the Walloon Parliament does not monitor the proper use of operating subsidies granted to political groups represented in the legislative body. However, the regulation provides that the registry must carry out such a check. “No control is put in place to ensure that employees are not financed by another assembly for the same function,” points out the Court of Auditors, according to The Free.
The Court of Auditors also highlights the fact that the parliament’s regulations do not specify the nature of the costs covered by a tax-exempt allowance granted to deputies, in addition to their monthly salary. “The absence of a definition of the costs covered by the parliamentary allowance and the additional benefits granted creates a risk of double coverage of certain costs,” according to the Court.
The Court of Auditors finally denounces the fact that the clerk’s expense reports ad interim are validated by herself as well as the director of human resources. She points out that the clerk’s accountant approves expenses related to the clerk’s credit cards, even for the card she has. In both cases, the controlled are also the controllers.
The Court’s report on the 2023 accounts was requested following the revelation, in 2022, of poor management of parliamentary expenses, notably by the former clerk Frédéric Janssens.
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