Verkhovna Rada goes ahead with reform of Accounting Chamber: changes

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a bill on Wednesday to reform the Accounting Chamber. The bill was supported by 240 lawmakers, reported MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak from the Golos party.
The adopted law No. 10044-d reduces the number of members of the Accounting Chamber from 13 to 11 and increases their salaries by 80-90%. The salary for the chairman will increase from 30 to 55 living wages for able-bodied persons (approximately 166,000 hryvnias ($4,022) as of 2024), for the deputy chairman from 27 to 50 (150,000 hryvnias ($3,634)), and for other members from 25 to 48 (145,000 hryvnias ($3,513)).
The law also specifies the salary levels for the secretary of the chamber, department directors, division heads, state auditors, and the amounts of allowances and bonuses.
A significant number of amendments relate to the procedure for appointing and dismissing members of the Accounting Chamber, including the creation of an advisory group of six experts to select candidates. International experts in the advisory group will have a decisive vote: a decision will be considered adopted if at least four members vote for it, including at least two members determined based on proposals from international and foreign organizations.
In addition to strengthening the financial autonomy of the Accounting Chamber, the law enhances its political independence.
Parliamentarians granted the Accounting Chamber the authority to conduct audits of local budget funds, municipal enterprises, extrabudgetary funds, funds received from international partners, and consolidated financial reporting of public sector entities and budgets.
Every five years, the Accounting Chamber will be required to undergo an external evaluation of its activities.
The law also introduces changes to the terminology to align it with international auditing standards (INTOSAI).
The adoption of the law on the Accounting Chamber was one of the conditions set by the United States for providing direct budgetary assistance. The reform also became a structural benchmark of the IMF after the fifth review of the credit program.
Currently, the Accounting Chamber is headed by Olha Pishchanska. She is sometimes referred to as "Zelenskyy's neighbor" based on an investigation by the TV channel Pryamyi, which reported in 2020 that her sister is a longtime acquaintance of Zelenskyy and "grew up in the same courtyard" as the president.