A NEW AUDITING SYSTEM IN TURKEY: THE PUBLIC INSPECTOR

Abstract

In Turkey, there are different ways to audit public administrations. Those ways could be grouped as political audit, administrative audit, judicial audit, pressure groups and public audit. However, in 2010 with a constitutional change Institution of Public Inspection becomes a part of the audition ways. So, what does it mean to have such a change in auditing and how should we interpret the change? One of the methods that aim to audit the public administration and protect people in front of the administration is ombudsman (public inspection) institution. The Ombudsman investigates complaints of the public against the public administration generally, management deficiencies, reveals aspects of bearing defects, present the conclusions of the parliament and the public. These institutions are origin based in Sweden since the middle of the 20th century it has become quite popular and in a country ombudsman have been perceived as an increase in the value of the development of democracy and human rights. This practice varies from country to country, although the function is basically the same everywhere: supervision of public administration. Through the referendum held in Turkey in September 12 2010, the institution has entered into the Constitution; the Law on Ombudsman was adopted on 06.14.2012. There are question marks as to whether there is a need for such an institution in Turkey. The first of the reasons for this is the fact that Turkey has ombudsman-like institutions. One of them is the State Audit Board. The institution has been newly regulated in the Constitution of 1982 and it is under the body of President of the republic. Review, research, and monitoring the legality of the administration are the main topics of the unit, and it works orderly and in an efficient manner in order to ensure the development and execution of the work. Founded in 2004, the other assembly is Ethics for Public Officials Board. Assembly was established on the request of the European Union in Turkey in order to ensure control of the public administration and ethics of public officials. Having no enforcement authority but only information duty to be added to these boards as a new one does not change the outcome of the debate, but could exacerbate the diversification of supervision of public administration in Turkey. Related to the ombudsman institution, there is another point that must be addressed as it is difficult to have such an institution on the "neutrality", "reliability" and "enforcement agency" on one hand and getting power from legislation on the other hand would be a matter. As a result of this study, the ombudsman system in Turkey approached from a critical perspective, if the institution can be successful in Turkey or not topic will be under the spotlight.