Anti-Corruption Programme did not bear the expected results
|
The National Audit Office of Lithuania evaluated organization of implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Programme. Summarizing results of the audit the Auditor General Ms Rasa Budbergytė emphasized that the programme did not bear the expected results. According to Ms Budbergytė, implementation of the programme's envisaged goals lacks the tangible measures; control of implementation of the programme is insufficient; potential of institutions and non-governmental organizations financed from the State budget are not fully used. Institutions responsible for the fight against corruption do not have data on how much is spent for implementation of the programme. |
|
Auditors pointed out that so
far there is no precise and clear concept of corruption in the National
Anti-Corruption Programme. Therefore sometimes institutions which
implement the programme understand the phenomenon with which they have
to fight in different ways.
It was detected that when drafting and revising action plan of the
programme assumptions and spread of corruption were not adequately
evaluated. For example, results of public opinion polls indicated that
one of the most corrupt institutions was the Traffic Police; however, in
the plan approved in 2006 there were no measures envisaged oriented
towards elimination of corruption assumptions in this area. The later
opinion poll showed that this area was estimated as even more corrupt.
The auditors recommended to develop criteria in accordance with which
implementation of the programme is evaluated. Although the goal of the
programme is to decrease the level of corruption, however, its
evaluation criteria are not envisaged in the programme. Therefore
evaluation of the efficiency of the programme becomes an object of
disagreement among institutions annually.
In the opinion of the auditors it is necessary to enhance education of
the society in fight against corruption. Although during the recent five
years the number of tip-offs about the potential corruption crimes
increased, however, according to the data of the opinion poll only every
fourth person would report about such a crime, and up to 82 per cent of
people and 65 per cent of heads of business companies would not know
where to turn to with such a tip-off.
Full report is available in Lithuanian:
National Anti-Corruption Programme