Audit agencies coordinate jobs to avoid overlapping

JAKARTA (JP): The Government Audit Agency (BPKP), an internal government auditing body, will submit its auditing results to the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) beginning next year to avoid an overlapping of jobs, an official says.

"BPK will not audit the spending of government institutions if we consider BPKP's auditing adequate," BPK Chairman J.B. Sumarlin told reporters after meeting with President Soeharto at the Merdeka Palace yesterday.

BPKP is assigned by the government to inspect and audit the spending of government institutions, including companies owned by the government and local administrations. It then reports the findings to the government. BPK inspects the government's spending as a whole and submits its auditing results to the House of Representatives twice a year.

Sumarlin said the relationship between BPKP and other governmental audit bodies on the one hand, and with BPK on the other, will be arranged by a system of working mechanisms now being formulated by the supreme agency with the aim of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of auditing procedures in governmental institutions.

Besides BPKP, the government also assigns inspectorate generals to audit the spending of ministries and institutions affiliated to it.

"We are finalizing the formulation of auditing practices and have discussed matters related to it with President Soeharto," said Sumarlin, who is a former minister of finance.

He said BPKP will also improve cooperation with international and regional organizations of supreme auditors, such as the 164- member International Organization of Supreme Auditors and the 25- member Association of Asian Supreme Auditors, to increase its auditing capabilities.(riz)