According to the Supreme Audit Office (SAO), the Ministry of Regional Development failed to audit the Czech Tourism Centre-CzechTourism and the Czech Mountain Service. The audit, which focused on the management of the Czech Tourism Centre between 2015 and 2020, revealed several errors that the Ministry did not find during its internal audits.
The SAO criticized the Ministry for abolishing internal auditors at CzechTourism while no one took over their schedule. In the case of the Mountain Service, the auditors pointed out, among other things, the absence of interim reports on the use of subsidies.
“The Ministry of Regional Development did not reveal any errors in public procurement in the cases of both the Mountain Service and CzechTourism,” the SAO said.
Specifically, it found errors in nine out of ten contracts audited. “The SAO assessed these shortcomings as a breach of budgetary discipline in the total amount of almost CZK 96.5 million,” the auditors said.
According to the SAO, CzechTourism committed errors in 19 out of 60 audited contracts, with the breach of budgetary discipline estimated at almost CZK 3 million.
The Centre for Regional Development was also audited, but the SAO found no deficiencies in its management.
The current minister, Ivan Bartoš (Pirates), ordered internal audits and changed the management structure of the Ministry.