The deadline for changes to property declarations has expired, inspection and publicity begin

The one-month period for making changes to the annual declarations of property and interests, which obligated public officials submitted to the National Audit Office, expired on June 15. Within the next "two months" – by "August 15" – all declarations must be published in the public register maintained by the audit body.

The register is accessible on the website of the National Audit Office, and through it, any citizen can obtain information about the "property and interests" of public figures – "income", "real estate and movable property", "participation in commercial companies", "shares", "loans", "receivables", "investments", and others. The purpose of this publicity is to ensure "transparency" and limit the possibility for persons holding public office to use their position of power for "personal gain".

After publication, the next stage is a detailed inspection of the declared data. Employees of the "Public Register" directorate verify the content of the declaration submitted to the National Audit Office with information from the registers of the "Registry Agency", the "Commercial Register" and the Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities, the "Property Register", the offices of the "Traffic Police", the "National Revenue Agency", and the "Central Credit Register".

Upon establishing discrepancies, a "notification letter" is sent to the declarant, who has a "14-day period" to address the identified omissions or provide explanations. If the inaccuracies are not corrected within this period, the National Audit Office notifies the "National Revenue Agency" or the "Commission for Illegal Assets Forfeiture (CIAFA)" to take subsequent actions. Furthermore, data regarding the discrepancies between the declared property and interests and those found during the inspection are published on the website of the National Audit Office.

Approximately "16,000 persons" holding public office fall within the scope of "Art. 74" of the Law on the National Audit Office, which obligates them to submit declarations for their "assets and interests" to the audit body. This covers a wide range of positions – from senior government officials to managers in the public sector.

On "June 5", the new "Law on Combating Corruption among Persons Holding Public Office" was promulgated in the State Gazette. It creates an independent investigative and supervisory body – the "Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)". According to the amendments to the Law on the National Audit Office, within "three months" after the assumption of office by the chairperson and members of the new commission, the activities related to "inspection and analysis of property and interest declarations", as well as the establishment of "conflict of interest", will be transferred to the ACC.

Until the expiration of this transitional period, all procedures related to the declaration of property and interests are carried out under the existing order and the "old law". Persons who have already submitted "introductory" or other declarations under the current regime will not be required to submit new declarations under the new legal order.

During the period of most active declaration of property and interests by public figures, the National Audit Office conducted an information campaign under the motto "Clear rules, accurate declarations", aimed at facilitating the process and reducing errors when filling out documents. As part of the initiative, "two online training sessions" were held, in which "1,600 directors" from the education sector and over "400 representatives of municipalities" participated.

Experts from the "Prevention of Corruption" and "Public Register" directorates at the National Audit Office presented the main "legal and technical instructions" for the correct completion and submission of declarations, gave "practical clarifications", and answered all questions from the participants. As part of the same campaign, an "artificial intelligence chatbot" was implemented on the audit institution's website, which answers inquiries and assists officials in completing the declarations.