Foto: BB.LV / Госконстроль
The State Audit Office of Latvia will be able to conduct a financial audit of the Saeima's annual report for the first time no earlier than 2027. However, even in this case, the decision to conduct the audit will depend on the assessment of risks and the significance of the institution. This was reported to the LETA agency by the head of the communication department of the State Audit Office, Gunta Krevica. Last week, the Saeima adopted amendments to the State Audit Law in the final reading, which expand the powers of the country's supreme auditing institution. Now, the State Audit Office will be able to check the annual financial statements of the parliament, which was not previously provided for by legislation. ### Why will the audit not take place in 2026? According to Krevica, the State Audit Office has already begun the financial audit of the reports of state institutions for 2026. The Saeima is not included in the list of institutions to be audited. Therefore, the earliest that a financial audit of the parliament's annual report can begin is 2027. In that case, its results will be published in 2028. However, conducting the audit in 2027 is not guaranteed. The State Audit Office determines the list of institutions for financial audits based on the assessment of risks and their significance. Since the number of state institutions is large, audits are conducted on a rotational basis. This means that not every institution is audited annually. Krevica emphasized that the same principles will be applied in deciding to audit the Saeima as for other state institutions. ### What exactly will the State Audit Office be able to check? The adopted amendments stipulate that the financial statements of the Saeima will be audited in accordance with internationally recognized standards for public sector auditing. Such standards are already applied in the financial audits of other state institutions in Latvia. The financial audit allows for the assessment of the reliability of the reports, the correctness of the reflection of financial operations, and compliance with applicable reporting requirements. Thanks to the changes, the conclusion of the State Audit Office on the consolidated annual report of the state will be able to cover all institutions funded from the state budget, including the parliament. ### What limitations remain? Despite the expansion of powers, the State Audit Office will not gain the right to conduct two other types of audits in the Saeima — feasibility and compliance audits. Feasibility audits are usually aimed at assessing how economically, efficiently, and effectively state resources are used. Compliance audits allow for determining whether applicable regulatory requirements are met in the activities of the institution. Thus, the new powers of the State Audit Office will be limited to the financial statements of the parliament. The authors of the legislative amendments explained the retention of these limitations by the special constitutional status of the Saeima. As a result, the parliament will for the first time become accessible for financial auditing by the State Audit Office, but oversight of its activities will remain more limited than for most other state institutions.
