The UAE Accountability Authority was established by Federal Decree-Law issued by the President of the UAE
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued Federal Decree-Law No. (56) of 2023, marking the establishment of the UAE Accountability Authority. This newly formed Authority, designed to replace the Supreme Audit Institution, will operate under the direct reporting structure to His Highness the President. Its primary focus is to safeguard and improve the integrity of public finances, emphasizing financial control, auditing, integrity, and transparency across the nation.
The Federal Decree-Law provides a regulatory framework for the UAE Accountability Authority, outlining its pivotal role in overseeing financial, accounting, and operational activities to combat corruption on financial and administrative fronts. The Authority is geared towards fortifying risk management systems, optimizing detection mechanisms, limiting corruption causes, and ensuring accountability for wrongdoers.
The responsibilities of the Authority encompass a thorough review and audit of the Consolidated Annual Report of the federal government, offering opinions on it, and scrutinizing annual financial statements within entities subject to its oversight. The overarching goal is to instill and enhance integrity, accountability, transparency, and good governance within the Federal Government and the entities under its purview.
The Authority's key functions encompass evaluating the efficiency of internal control systems, formulating policies on integrity and corruption prevention, and ensuring the adherence of government entities to pertinent laws, regulations, and governance principles. Additionally, the Authority holds the power to conduct administrative investigations, implement preventive measures, safeguard whistleblowers, recover public funds, and define financial and administrative violations.
In its pursuit of fostering proper accounting and governance practices, the Authority is granted the authority to audit, examine, and review documents, data, and electronic systems of entities under its oversight. The Decree meticulously outlines procedures for administrative investigations, including the imposition of disciplinary penalties on violating employees and the recovery of unlawfully obtained public funds.
Furthermore, the Decree introduces provisions for offering incentives, whether moral or financial, to individuals providing substantial information leading to the exposure of corruption offenses. It delineates procedures for granting exemptions from prescribed penalties for collaborators reporting their involvement in corruption before disclosure. The comprehensive scope of the Authority encompasses various entities, defining their roles and obligations.
In essence, the Federal Decree-Law lays the groundwork for the UAE Accountability Authority to assume a pivotal role in ensuring the financial integrity, transparency, and accountability of the nation's governance.
