National Assembly chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân delivers speech at a working session with State Audit Office of Việt Nam leaders on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân on Tuesday applauded the State Audit Office of Việt Nam (SAV) for its contributions in fighting corruption and waste.

At a working session with SAV leaders on Tuesday, Ngân said the role of State Audit was enhanced in 2013 when State audit agencies and the State Audit of Việt Nam were mentioned in the country’s Constitution 2013 and when the National Assembly approved the Law on Audit in 2015.

The SAV has detected problems of legal documents and recommended amending, replacing or removing the erroneous documents, helping to improve the quality of legal documents, especially those related to State management of public assets, Ngân said.

The SAV also provided documents and materials to agencies and police so they could investigate suspected violations.

Last year, the State Audit conducted 276 audits and proposed financial corrections worth VNĐ38.77 trillion (US$1.7 billion), the highest figure in its 22 years of operation. It also recommended the adjustment, supplementation, replacement and withdrawal of 150 legal documents to prevent losses and waste.

The agency helped re-evaluate State capital in seven enterprises and revised up the amount by VNĐ20.8 trillion ($917 million). Also, after examining 27 build-operate-transfer projects in the transportation sector, the State Audit proposed cutting the combined duration of toll collecting by 107 years.

In the first eight months of this year, the SAV’s 108 draft audit reports proposed financial corrections which add VNĐ11 trillion ($484 million) to State’s budget,  reduce spending by VNĐ6.78 trillion ($298 million) from the State’s budget and correct the spending of another VNĐ5.15 trillion ($226.6 million).

The NA chairwoman asked the SAV to keep fulfilling its tasks, especially in providing data for socio-economic development plans.

“The SAV’s good performance will help the National Assembly make effective policies on finance, monetary, taxes and State budget spending,” she said.

She also requested the SAV speed up the drafting of documents guiding the implementation of the Law on State Audit 2015, applying information technology and administrative reform to reduce auditing time.

Ngân urged the audit agency to expand international relations, particularly through hosting the 14th Congress of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions next year.

State Auditor General Hồ Đức Phớc confirmed that the SAV would follow the resolutions and policies of Party, State and Government to fulfill its tasks.

Under the Law on State Audit, the SAV is a specialised agency for examining State finance established by the National Assembly, performing its duties independently and subject only to laws, and its functions extend to auditing financial statements, auditing compliance with laws, and auditing the performance of every institution that manages and uses State assets. — VNS