Court of Auditors: more powers for Rome, fewer regional presidents
The decree implementing the reform has been approved: the Attorney General will assist local prosecutors in cases involving charges exceeding 10 million against local politicians and in new or supra-regional matters
The signature of the Attorney General of the Court of Auditors will be required alongside that of the local public prosecutors on summonses and notices to submit a defence alleging financial losses to the public purse of at least 10 million euros against regional presidents, mayors and councillors of regional capitals, as well as those of provincial capitals or metropolitan cities.
The same will apply when ‘new issues’ are under consideration – that is, matters for which there are no precedents in accounting court rulings – and in cases involving ‘liability of a supra-regional nature’. Furthermore, prior to issuing a request for evidence, the Attorney General may take over investigations which, having been identified as ‘priority’ in the annual policy statement, show no concrete signs of progress after 12 months, or where the Public Prosecutor commits a ‘serious breach’ of the law or of the Attorney General’s annual policy statement.
The decree implementing the reform of the Court of Auditors, which was examined on 4 August by the last Council of Ministers meeting before the summer recess, has taken on a final form and has been approved by the State General Accounting Office; it is now awaiting scrutiny by the State-Regions Conference and the parliamentary committees.
The review at the State-Regions Conference
The first step is by no means straightforward, because the agreement with local authorities required by the enabling act necessitates unanimity, which is difficult to achieve – particularly from centre-left regions, as is only to be expected; and the text, whilst confirming in its key points the previews published the day before (in *Il Sole 24 Ore* on 31 July), promises to reignite tensions with the opposition and with a large section of the Court itself.
In the offices of the Court of Auditors, the debate is centring mainly on the reorganisation of the regional branches, which will result in the abolition of 25 per cent of the posts of president.
