As a result, some of the institutions do not effectively implement mandatory measures to identify and address the potential risks of corruption and conflict of interest in a timely manner.
Cabinet regulations for State and local government authorities require the development and implementation of an internal anti-corruption control system by December 31 2018. In order to assess the actual situation with the implementation of the system, KNAB surveyed 2077 state and local authorities at the end of 2019.
KNAB found that nearly every fifth institution still does not have an internal anti-corruption control system or internal rules that identify and analyse the potential risks of corruption.
In addition, some institutions only drafted a plan after KNAB had requested information on the anti-corruption system in place.
Although most – nearly 80% – have implemented the anti-corruption plan, KNAB observed a number of shortcomings that hinder effective prevention of the risks of corruption and conflict of interest. Not all institutions identify and analyse in depth the positions, fields and processes of employees at risk of corruption. Similarly, some of the institutions surveyed do not carry out an overall assessment of the anti-corruption measures introduced, which KNAB recommends to do at least once a year in order to ensure the effective functioning of the system.
KNAB welcomes the practice of individual municipalities to develop a single anti-corruption plan that is binding on all institutions in the region. However, the survey data show that not always the companies in the region concerned are aware of the existence of the plan.
According to the information obtained, KNAB concluded that although the internal anti-corruption control system for state and local government authorities is a mandatory requirement, some institutions only meet this requirement in a formal way, thereby disallowing effective prevention of the risks of corruption and conflict of interest.
