Presentation
The external audit of public finance by an independent Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) is an essential prerequisite of Public finance supreme auditing is dictated by the requirements of good governance, ie accountability, transparency and democracy. In this respect, Morocco, like all modern states, decided to raise the Court of account to the level of a constitutional institution/body entrusting it with auditing the implementation of budget acts (laws of finance), assisting the Parliament and the Executive/Government in the domains under its authority, and reporting on all its activities to his Majesty the King may God assist him.
Also, in order to promote the decentralization policy, the constitution established/instituted the regional Courts of accounts, entitled with the mission of controlling the accounts and the management of the territorial collectivities and their groups.
The missions and roles legally attributed to the financial jurisdictions have been, therefore, well defined in order to exercise an integrated and balanced control on all stakeholders involved in the public finance management, namely managers, comptrollers and accountants.
It is worthy mentioning that, throughout these verifications, the control performed by the financial jurisdictions is no more focused, as in the past, on the regularity and compliance of the different management acts, but it embraces, henceforth, all the other aspects thereto related. In addition, this control puts forward the approach oriented towards assessing the results/outcomes achieved by government auditees in terms of effectiveness, economy, efficiency, environment and ethics (5E).
While pursuing its fundamental objective aiming to actively participate in the rationalization and optimization of public funds management, at national and international economic and financial contexts in search for performance, this control has been expanded to new missions including controlling political parties expenditures, electoral campaigns financing and the mandatory disclosure of assets. This extension will undoubtedly strengthen transparency and morality in the public life (affairs).
Mandate
The Court of accounts is tasked with a supreme oversight role pertaining to auditing and controlling the implementation of budgetary acts. In this regard, it is performing a double control: jurisdictional control and management control based on results and performance auditing.
Thus, it controls the regularity of revenues and expenditures relating to entities under its control by virtue of the law, and assesses their management.
The Court of accounts controls and follows-up the submission of the disclosure of assets, audits the accounts of political parties and checks the regularity of expenditures related to electoral operations.
The Court assists also the Parliament and the Government/Executive in the domains under its authority by virtue of the law. It reports to the King on all its activities in its annual report.