Brazil's Supreme Audit Institution
The Audit of the Consolidated Year-end Government Report
Supreme audit institutions have a distinct role in supporting the development of a more strategic and forward looking state. This report assesses the role of Brazil's SAI – the Federal Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Contas da União or TCU) – in enhancing accountability and informing decision making within the federal government. The review focuses specifically on the audit of the Consolidated Year end Government Report (Prestação de Contas da Presidenta de República or PCPR). Although the TCU is a well respected independent government institution and completes the audit of the PCPR in line with constitutional provisions and international best practice, several challenges remain. Deepening TCU understanding of challenges and barriers affecting the use of its audit – especially by the legislature – is critical for enhancing accountability and informing decision making. Moreover, framing clearly and concisely the main findings will make the TCU work audit more accessible and elevate the imperative for action. Creating a more explicit and co-ordinated TCU communication strategy will also improve the value and benefit of the audit findings.
Audit objectives and reporting
This chapter analyses the objectives and reporting on Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Contas da União, or TCU) audit of the consolidated year-end government report: the Accounts of the President of the Republic (Contas do Presidente da República, or CPR). The chapter addresses: i) the objectives of the audit of the CPR and the legal basis underpinning this TCU control and oversight process; ii) the extent that audit reporting clearly and concisely presents information on the audit objectives and main findings (i.e. opinion, qualifications and recommendations); and iii) the extent to which the audit report clearly substantiates the main findings using information on the tests conducted and the audit evidence identified. The analysis is framed by International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions, specifically the “Basic Principles of Government Auditing” (ISSAI 100) and “Reporting Standards on Government Auditing” (ISSAI 400).