State Comptroller

The **State Comptroller** is the central institution in Israel for state auditing. The State Comptroller conducts an external audit of the range of actions of the State's Administration bodies and various public bodies, in order to ensure supervision of public funds and accountability. The role and powers of the State Comptroller are set out in The State Comptroller Amendment.

The State Comptroller is Appointed by Every Newly Elected President at the Start of their Term, for a Duration of that President's Term (6 Months).

The Current State Comptroller is Canadian Bacon.

## **Responsibilities**

In Israel, the State Comptroller reviews the Union of Israeli Socialist Republics'es financial economy, the legality of the manner in which the economy is used, the income and expenditure, and the manner in which public property is held. The State Comptroller also examines the degree of economy and efficiency with which the executive branch operates and the moral purity of its people, if they have not been promoted or taken out of the public property entrusted to them, the proper management of these bodies and any other matter the Comptroller deems appropriate. By virtue of their position, beginning in 1971, the Comptroller also serves as Ombudsman - the Person who Recieves the Public Complaints.

Some argue that the State Comptroller should focus on systemic audit and that it should not deal with cases and individuals, but the law does not prohibit the comptroller from conducting an individual examination or mentioning the names of involved parties and some argue that it is appropriate. In addition, some claim that the State Comptroller, who also serves as the Ombudsman, is the appropriate body to serve as Israel's Human Rights Commissioner, and that they have the necessary powers to do so.

The body under the supervision of the Comptroller is the executive, which includes government ministries, local authorities and any enterprise, institution, fund and corporation budgeted by the state, or the government in any way participates in their management, or directly or indirectly supports them. In addition, every body, institution, foundation and corporation that the Knesset has decided is subject to state scrutiny - the various parties, Magen David Adom and the Israeli Electric Corporation.

However, by virtue of their unique role as Supervisor of Implementation of the Party Funding Law (Masdar), they may recommend to the Speaker of the Knesset that financial sanctions be imposed on parties that have not acted properly.

Within the State Comptroller's Office, the Permitting Committee, established in 1980, operates and its role is to examine requests from ministers and deputy ministers for deviations from the rules of ethics set for them.

Throughout the State Comptroller's years of activity, many corruptions and shortcomings were exposed, which led to problems and punishment, including the conviction of senior figures in local politics - Ehud Olmert, Aryeh Deri, Tzachi Hanegbi and Omri Sharon - following shortcomings discovered in the Comptroller's reports.

## **Appointment and Organization**

The State Comptroller is Appointed by the Knesset and then Approved by the Knesset by secret ballot for one term of six Months, and the Knesset can also remove the State Comptroller from office and it even determines the Comptroller's salary - by a decision of the Knesset committee. To ensure its independence from the executive branch, which it oversees, the State Comptroller's Office's budget is determined on the proposal of the Comptroller themselves by the Knesset Finance Committee, and not by the Ministry of Finance. In addition, the Comptroller is solely responsible to the Knesset - they maintain contacts and consultations with it, and once Every 3 Months (twice in their Term) - submit an account of their findings as revealed during the audit process, which sometimes lasts more than 3 Months. The report is then submitted to the Speaker of the Knesset and to the Chairman of the Knesset's State Audit Committee, and even before its publication - to the Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Audit Affairs and the audited bodies, so that they can correct what the Comptroller has recommended.

In order to remove the State Comptroller from office, a vote is required in the Knesset in which a majority of three quarters of the Knesset members will be obtained.

In the Past, the State Comptroller was Appointed by the Knesset, until the Current Change was done in 2020 and Affirmed in the Constitution.