The Saeima approves Mr Mārtiņš Āboliņš as a Council Member of the State Audit Office of Latvia

19.09.2024.

On Thursday, 19 September 2024, the Saeima confirmed Mr Mārtiņš Āboliņš as a Council Member of the State Audit Office of Latvia (term - four years).

According to the State Audit Office Law, Council Members of the State Audit Office of Latvia are approved by the Saeima for four years on the recommendation of Auditor General, with the possibility of being re-elected for a second term. A Council Member of the State Audit Office also performs the duties of the Director of an Audit Department.

Mr Mārtiņš Āboliņš was recognized as the most suitable applicant in the competition for the post of Council Member of the State Audit Office of Latvia. The competition was organized because the term of office of Council Member Inese Kalvāne ends in September. The selection was carried out by the Selection Committee of applicants for the position of Council Member of the State Audit Office, which consisted of Council Members of the State Audit Office of Latvia and independent observers. The selection of applicants took place in three rounds by assessing the applicants’ compliance with the requirements, the submitted and presented vision of the possibilities of the State Audit Office to contribute to the overcoming of challenges in the fields of economics, traffic and energy and challenges caused by climate change, the motivation to work in the position and management competences.

Auditor General Edgars Korčagins, “Council Members of the State Audit Office of Latvia ensure the strategic management and development of the organization collegially in order to increase public trust in the public sector, make the development of our country more targeted and improve the return that society gets from public sector work significantly. Knowledge and experience of Mr. Āboliņš will strengthen the State Audit Office team and allow to continue increasing the efficiency of auditing and developing cooperation with the public and with state and municipal institutions.”

Mr Mārtiņš Āboliņš, the newly confirmed Council Member of the State Audit Office of Latvia, “Working at the State Audit Office of Latvia will allow me to combine my previous experience in state administration and financial sector. At the same time, the understanding of economic processes will provide an opportunity to evaluate economic issues in audits in particular. My goal in joining the State Audit Office team is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the public sector by increasing the well-being of the entire population of Latvia.

Mr Mārtiņš Āboliņš obtained a master’s degree in economics from the University of Latvia.

Since March 2020, Mr Āboliņš has been a Member of the Fiscal Discipline Council, and a Vice-President of the Council starting from January 2023. He was also an economist at Citadele Bank.

Mr Mārtiņš Āboliņš has more than ten years of experience in analysing and forecasting Latvian and global economic processes. He worked at the Ministry of Finance previously, where he gained extensive international experience while representing Latvia in the working group of the European Commission and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He has worked in the British Ministry of Finance as an exchange of experience.

About the State Audit Office of Latvia

The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia is an independent, collegial supreme audit institution. The purpose of its activity is to find out whether the actions with the financial means and property of a public entity are legal, correct, useful and in line with public interests, as well as to provide recommendations for the elimination of discovered irregularities. The State Audit Office conducts audits in accordance with International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions INTOSAI (ISSAI), whose recognition in Latvia is determined by the Auditor General. Upon discovering deficiencies, the State Audit Office of Latvia provides recommendations for their elimination, but it informs law enforcement authorities about potential infringements of the law.

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