The Ministry of Defense indicated this Saturday that the strengthening of inspection actions for services and bodies in its administration had already been determined in December 2022, questioned about the suggestion of the Socialist parliamentary leader of a general audit.
“Aware of the importance that this area assumes, on December 22, 2022, the Minister of National Defense sent a message addressed to the Inspectorate General for National Defense (IGDN), (…) noting the strengthening of the inspection actions to the services and bodies integrated into the direct and indirect administration of the Ministry of National Defense”, the ministry refers to the Lusa bureau.
This information comes after PS parliamentary leader Eurico Brilhante Dias suggested on Friday that the Defense Ministry should conduct a general audit of its recruitment and acquisition processes, noting that there is an unclear pattern and that it extended across different governments.
In the information sent to Lusa, the Ministry of Helena Carreiras says that the reinforcement of these inspection actions is aimed at the implementation of the “corruption prevention measures provided for in the general anti-corruption regime”.
“This order also stipulates the promotion of actions to raise awareness and prevent risks of financial responsibility, as well as corruption and related offenses,” he refers.
According to the ministry, this is a “work that is permanently carried out by the competent authorities, namely by the IGDN”.
“The 2023 IGDN inspection plan includes action for all departments and bodies of the Ministry of National Defense, including conducting risk management audits,” it is stressed.
Included within the scope of this plan are “inspectorate actions to monitor the implementation of the Military Programming Law and the Military Infrastructure Law, with compliance audits, oversight of corrective actions implemented and to verify compliance with the initially approved program,” he added.
On Friday, Brilhante Dias stated in the Rádio Renascença program “São Bento à Friday” about the resignation of the Secretary of State for Defense, Marco Capitão Ferreira, that “these episodes around the Ministry of Defense are not new”.
“We should pay particular attention to defense acquisitions. Episodes are repeated with some regularity. There seems to be a pattern. The armed forces and the Ministry of Defense as a whole need to look. If I were a minister ,,I would have a general inquiry to the acquisition processes of the Ministry of National Defence,” stated the party leader of the PS.
Eurico Brilhante Dias noted that he does not intend to take any political initiative, but stressed that one “must understand whether the mechanisms are transparent, where they can be improved and design new processes”.
Source: DN
