Burgenland's State Audit Office Confronted with Criticism from Doskozil
Following a report published at the end of February by the Burgenland State Audit Office (BLRH) on the allocation of funds, Governor Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) criticized BLRH Director René Wenk in the state parliament on Thursday. According to the report, the payouts to SPÖ municipalities were generally higher. The state had already described the audit result as not very meaningful at the time of publication. Wenk rejected the criticism when asked by APA.
The BLRH criticized, among other things, the lack of documentation and follow-up checks on the allocations that the state paid to the municipalities from 2021 to 2023. It was also suggested that municipalities where the SPÖ provided the mayor tended to receive higher payouts. The state of Burgenland then stated that the short audit period of three years distorted the result - ten years would have been more meaningful. The deviation between municipalities with SPÖ mayors and those with leaders from other parties was only about one percent over ten years, according to the state.
Doskozil Faced Questions
Doskozil also confirmed this, as he faced questions from the deputies in the state parliament on Thursday. The Burgenland municipalities receive a "basic provision" according to certain parameters. They are supported so they can renovate or build infrastructure such as schools, fire stations, and municipal offices. These are large investments that are only made every 30 or 40 years, Doskozil said, which is why he called for a longer audit period. He therefore began to "doubt" whether Wenk "took the audit seriously" or if he "politically motivated" it. The red deputy and former state parliament president Robert Hergovich shared the criticism in a statement: "I can't do anything with the report. It's not even worth the paper it's printed on."
FPÖ club chairman Norbert Hofer was outraged that someone "from the government bench is accused of political influence and no one reacts." He wants to discuss the issue in the next presidential meeting. The ÖVP stated that it was "disturbing" that the governor questions the seriousness of the audit office's examination and "unfortunately shows his understanding of democracy."
State Audit Office Responded
Director Wenk stated in response to an APA inquiry: "As the State Audit Office, we audit independently, objectively, and consistently. This means, in particular, that we do so free from party-political influence. We create transparency within our responsibility for good governance. Some people apparently need to get used to this increased level of transparency."
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.