Implement the 2023 audit plan: Improve Quality, Avoid Ovelapping and Prevent and Combat Corruption and Negativity

This is the request of the Member of the Party Central Committee, Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan at the online meeting for opinions on the draft plan for the 2023 audit to be held on the morning of the 8th February 2023 at the headquarters of the State Audit Office of Viet Nam - 116 Nguyen Chanh, Ha Noi.

At the meeting, the Director General of the Department of General Affairs Vu Ngoc Tuan reported that implementing SAV's Guideline for the construction of the audit plan for 2023, up to the present, the units of the whole Office have basically completed the task of formulating the audit plan for 2023 ensuring compliance with Decision No. 1483/QD-KTNN dated 2nd December 2022, Official Letter No. 1347/KTNN-TH of SAV; Notice No. 212-TB/BCSD dated 28th December 2022 of SAV Communist Party’s Designated Representation. Accordingly, in 2023, the Office will organize 169 audit teams to implement 129 audit tasks, reducing 232 audit teams compared to 2022.

Regarding the organization of several thematic audits to serve the activities of supervision or upon the request of the National Assembly, the National Assembly Standing Committee: Specialized Audit Departments No. IV and No.V are putting forward the proposals to perrform audit 03 National Target Programs from March 1, 2023 to April 29, 2023, ensuring the completion and report compliation of thematic audit results to be sent to the Department of General Affairs by 15th July 2023 in order to timely provide information and  reports upon request of the National Assembly’s Supervision Delegation pursuant to Resolution No. 23/2022/UBTVQH dated 4th August 2022 on the Supervision rogram of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee in 2023.
 
Specialized Audit Department No. II, No. III and No. VII shall implement audit tasks related to Resolution No. 43/2022/QH15 to ensure completion and submit these thematic audit report results to the Department of General Affairs by 15th August 2023 in order to provide timely information and report to the National Assembly in its session at the end of 2023.

Specialized Audit Department No. VI shall perform the thematic audit of "The handling of the price compensation settlement of the Petrovietnam (PVN) in the off-take of products of Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex Project according to Resolution No. 42/2021/QH15” as well as auditing the financial statements and activities related to the management and use of the state capital and assets for 2022 of PVN from 15th June 2023 to 13th August 2023. However, a separate audit report on this special topic will be issued to ensure completion and audit results will be reported before 15th September 2023 to serve the National Assembly Standing Committee for the financial and budgetary discussion at the October session according to Resolution No. 23/2022/UBTVQH15.

Regarding the thematic audit task "The assignment of budget estimates, management, use and final settlement of management costs associated with social insurance and unemployment insurance at Viet Nam Social Insurance (VSI) according to Resolution No. 09/ 2021/UBTVQH15", it is not guaranteed that the audit results will be completed and reported before the 15th August 2023 to serve the review and report of the Government on the management and use of the VSI Fund for 2022 at the September session according to Resolution No. 23/2022/UBTVQH15 and Resolution No. 674/NQ-UBTVQH15 dated December 26, 2022. Since Vietnam Social Insurance has already issued document on the submission of the 2022 final settlement report, the latest date for the preparation and submission of the final settlement report of the Viet Nam Social Insurance according to the Law on State Budget, is changed to no later than the 1st October each year. Therefore, the Specialized Audit Office No. VII propose to perform audit from 25th August 2023 to 14th October 2023.
 
Director General of the Department of General Affairs Vu Ngoc Tuan reported at the meeting.

Acorrding to Director General of the Department of General Affairs Vu Ngoc Tuan the 2023 audit plan will ensure the maximum limitation of the appearance of audit teams in the same area. After audits being assigned to audit teams, there will be no local implementation of more than three audit batches per year.

To implement the annual audit plan, the SAV units responsible for building personnel plans for specific audit teams mustensure the compliance with the auditor arrangement principle not to exceed two audits per year for each auditor in accordance with Notice No. 212-TB/BCSD, and be approved by SAV leader in charge. For special cases, the unit shall report to the Deputy Auditor General in charge and the Auditor General for consideration and direction.

At the meeting, leaders of different SAV units noted that the preparation of the plan of 2023 audit organization was in line with the direction of the Auditor General, ensuring the maximum limitation of the appearance of audit teams in the same area while covering all key audit contents in 2023. The audit plan for 2023 also aims at two major goals in line with SAV's annual theme, which particularly draws the Auditor General’s attention. These two goals are "Audit quality" and "Public service ethics".

Based on the opinions of SAV leaders, the opinion of the Department of General Affairs and most of the opinions expressed at the meeting, the Member of the Party Central Committee, Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan requested SAV units to concentrate all resources to successfully implement the 2023 Audit Plan. Accordingly, the Department of General Affairs shall urgently review and perfect the relevant Directive and the plan of 2023 audit organization with the objectives of Improving quality, avoiding overlaps and preventing and combating corruption and negativity. The Deputy Auditors General in charge are responsible for approving specific personnel plans of the audit teams; subsequently, the arrangement of personnel of audit teams should ensure publicity, transparency and practicality.

The Auditor General emphasized that the development of personnel plans of audit teams must comply with the principle that each auditor participates in no more than two audits per year according to Notice No. 212-TB/BCSD. Exception may apply only to cases where auditors participate in auditing final settlement reports of ministries, central and local agencies./.