Local Government Auditing in Spain

Abstract

The Court of Auditors – Tribunal de Cuentas – is the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Spain which, together with the Regional Audit Institutions (RAIs) of the Autonomous Communities – Órganos de Control Externo – carry out the institutional external audits in Spain. At internal level, the Intervención General de la Administración del Estado (IGAE) and the internal comptroller bodies of the Autonomous Communities and the Local Entities, carry out the internal audit on the three levels of the Spanish public sector, contracting in some cases private audit firms. So, the structure of the public audit in Spain is fragmented. With respect to the scope, although in theory the three types of audit are carried out on the public entities in Spain (legality compliance audits, accounting and finance audits and performance audits), in practice the last one is not enough implemented. There are room for improvements. Public audits in Spain include more and more actions for electronic administration environments.

Citation

Torres, L. and Cabeza, I. (2022), "Local Government Auditing in Spain", Ferry, L. and Ruggiero, P. (Ed.) Auditing Practices in Local Governments: An International Comparison (Emerald Studies in Public Service Accounting and Accountability), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 121-129. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-085-720221013