The Court of Auditors creates a platform for whistleblowers

Could the Orpea case have given rise to an investigation by the Court of Auditors? Undoubtedly, if the shortcomings had been reported to him upstream. From this Tuesday, September 6, the institution is putting a new platform online for “whistleblowers” who would like to draw his attention to undue situations “, explained Pierre Moscovici, the first president of the institution, Monday, September 5, before the association of economic and financial journalists. ” Sometimes, citizens write to me to alert me to particular situations, locally or nationally., he continues. These can be investigated. »

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Each year, the Court receives around a hundred reports, by post or email, from individuals indicating regulatory breaches in the public sphere. And each of the thirteen regional chambers of accounts receives about the same. But, until now, the Court did not have any particular tool to systematically collect and process this mass of information, which nevertheless sometimes led to investigations.

Secure dialogue

The new platform must make it possible to formalize the elements transmitted by the informants – on what date did the facts take place, where, how did we learn about them? The “whistleblower” will be able to file a large number of attachments there, and communicate securely with the Court. The information collected, if deemed credible, may trigger or guide investigations or controls.

This platform is part of a process of wider opening of the Court of Auditors to the general public, wanted by Pierre Moscovici since his appointment in 2020. In the spring, the institution had launched a vast consultation in order to collect from individuals suggestions for surveys. As an independent jurisdiction, the Court indeed freely sets its work program, establishing the list of controls to be carried out each year.

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It finally selected six subjects for study, corresponding to fifteen proposals resulting from the consultation: inclusive schooling, detection of tax evasion by individuals, public support for hunting federations, equality between women and men , medical interim and permanent care and, finally, the use by the State of private consulting firms. The Court must publish the results of its checks by the end of 2023.

Elsa Conesa