On July 22 – 26, 2012, a delegation  from BPK led by Mr. Hasan Bisri, Vice Chaiman of BPK, visited the State Audit Office of Vietname (SAV). This  was a reciprocal visit and also a response to an invitation from the Auditor-General of SAV, Mr. Dinh Tien Dung, to participate as one of the speakers in the international workshop,  which was held at Daewoo Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam,  on incorporation of regulations on the Vietnam SAI into the Constitution.

This international workshop aimed at sharing experiences about the legal status of Supreme Audit Institution in a State Constitution. BPK, as the chairman of ASEANSAI, was invited to share its experiences about the legal status of BPK in the Indonesian Constitution.  Currently, SAV is engaged in an effort to amend articles in its constitution for incorporating the SAV’s legal status into the national Constitution.

On this occasion, Mr. Hasan Bisri presented a paper entitled “BPK in the State Constitution: Indonesia’s Experience.” BPK is regulated by the 1945 Constitution and has a position equal to that of seven other  state institutions: President, People’s Consultative Assembly, House of Representatives, Regional of Representative Council, Supreme Court, Constitution Court and Judicial Constitution.  In the Indonesian Constitution, BPK has mandates to audit the state finances in the three levels of government which are central, province and local government.

In line with the 1945 Indonesian Constitution, BPK is further regulated in Law No. 15 Year 2006. Matters regulated in Law No. 15 Year 2006 include BPK’s position and membership, duty and authority, management, protocol, immunity and prohibition, code of conduct, freedom and independence, accountability and budget. With a clear legal status, BPK has a strong and clear mandate. This becomes a strength and also a challenge for BPK in performing its duty.

The workshop was also attended by the Auditor-General of Austria, the Commissioner of Korea, and representatives from South Africa and donors.