INTOSAI Working Group on the Audit of Privatisation
Papers for the Tenth Meeting Prague, 9 and 10 June 2003
Overview note by the Chairman
The Working Group’s remit
- The Working Group was set up in 1993 with the following terms of reference:
- To identify and examine problems confronting SAIs in the audit of privatization;
- To exchange information on the range of experience within the Working Group’s membership in resolving these problems, having regard to relevant work in INTOSAI regions; and
- To facilitate the provision of information on this subject to INTOSAI members.
- At XVII INCOSAI it was agreed that, in the period leading up to XVIII INCOSAI in Budapest in 2004, the Working Group should focus its efforts on:
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Monitoring the effectiveness of the guidelines adopted by INTOSAI; and
- Developing future audit guidance as necessary, for example on audit issues arising in the field of partnerships and where the state is a minority shareholder, and on the alternatives to regulation.
Purpose of this note
- This note introduces the draft agenda for the 10th meeting, and the various papers attached for discussion at the meeting which were contributed by members of the Working Group.
- The meeting will cover four general themes:
- The exchange of experience on the audit of privatisation
- Evaluation of the guidelines on the audit of privatisation
- Training in the use of the Working Group's guidelines
- Further consideration of the draft guidelines on the audit of risk in Public Private Partnerships
Experiences in the audit of privatization
Experience of privatization in the Czech Republic (Mr Tomáš Ježek, former Minister of Privatisation and Chairman of the National Property Fund)
- The meeting will open with a presentation from Mr. Tomáš Ježek, Minister of Privatisation between 1990 and 1992, and Chairman of the National Property Fund between 1992 and 1994. He will talk about the experience of privatisation in the Czech Republic.
Failed privatizations: State Treasury’s management of the property of liquidated enterprises (Poland)
- This presentation examines the experience of auditing the Polish Ministry of State Treasury’s liquidation of hundreds of enterprises between 1990 and 2002.
Privatisation audits: the experience of the Court of Audit of the Republic of Slovenia (Slovenia)
- This presentation considers the findings and impacts of seven privatisation audits undertaken by the Slovenian Court of Audit since 2000, and addresses some of the practical and legal difficulties involved with completing these audits.
The General Accounting Bureau: the experience of the audit of privatisation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia)
- This presentation sets out the role of the General Auditing Bureau, and examines the experience of auditing Saudi Telecommunications, which was privatised in 1998.
SAO’s experience of the audit of privatisation (Czech Republic)
- This presentation examines the SAO’s experience of auditing privatisation in the Czech Republic, with particular reference to the privatisation of spas in the Czech Republic.
Privatisation: the Bangladesh context (Bangladesh)
- This presentation explains the privatisation process in Bangladesh and the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh, and sets out some of the findings of privatisation audits to date.
Privatisation: the German example (Germany)
- This presentation considers the legal, philosophical and structural bases of privatisation and privatisation audit in Germany, and some of the results of privatisation in that country.
Guidelines on the audit of privatisation
Privatisation: 10 years on (UK)
- This presentation reflects on the experiences of Working Group members in using the guidelines on the audit of privatisation, and goes on to evaluate the criteria for the audit of privatisation, the SAI’s role after privatisation, and the ongoing development of audit skills in the area of privatisation audit.
Training in the use of the Working Group’s guidelines
A suggested training programme on the guidelines of privatisation auditing for auditors of the Central Auditing Organisation (Egypt)
- This presentation outlines a seven-part proposal for a training programme on the guidelines of privatisation audit.
The audit of privatisation: a training perspective (The INTOSAI Development Initiative)
- This presentation sets out the origins of the INTOSAI Development Initiative and examines how IDI and the Working Group may work more closely together in the future to provide training for members in the audit of privatisation.
Draft guidelines on the audit of risk in Public Private Partnerships
Guidelines on the audit of risk in Public-Private Partnerships (UK)
- The guidelines seek to explore the risks facing both the government and SAIs where the state enters into partnership with the private sector, and sets out how these risks can be managed. The guidelines have been amended in light of comments made upon their first reading at the ninth meeting of the Working Group, in Oslo, in June 2002, and take account of suggestions made subsequently by members. The Group now has the opportunity to discuss the draft guidelines for a second time and to consider if they are content to submit them to INCOSAI XVIII in October 2004.