The Court of Audit is an independent state body that controls the use of public funds. It audits all public institutions that receive public funds and all those that receive European funds in Slovenia. The Court of Audit cannot be categorised within any of the three branches of power, legislative, executive or judicial.
In accordance with the Slovenian Constitution, the Court of Audit is the highest body for supervising state accounts, the state budget and all public spending in Slovenia. The Constitution further provides that the Court of Audit is independent in the performance of its duties. The Court of Audit Act also defines that the acts with which the Court of Audit exercises its auditing powers cannot be challenged before the courts or other state bodies.
The Court of Audit exercises its powers entirely independently. No body, institution or other entity may order it to carry out tasks nor give it instructions how to perform tasks, what sort of audit it should carry out or what it should audit, except for the mandatory audits. According to the Court of Audit Act, the deputies and working bodies of the National Assembly, the government, ministries and local authority bodies may propose that an audit be carried out; from among these proposals the Court of Audit selects for its annual work programme at least five proposals from the National Assembly, two of which must come from opposition deputies and at least two from the working bodies of the National Assembly. The Court of Audit can also, at its own decision, consider initiatives for audits from individuals and civil society organisations.
For covering the costs of its activities, the Court of Audit proposes a financial plan to the National Assembly, which approves the required working funds. The Court of Audit is an independent budget user and receives budget funding under a special part of the budget, the funds must be used in accordance with the provisions of the legislation regulating the implementation of the budget.
The Court of Audit is headed by the President and also comprises of two Deputy Presidents who are appointed for a term of nine years by the NationalAssembly. The President of the Court of Audit acts for and represents the Court of Audit and is the State Auditor General and the Head of the Court of Audit. The two Deputy Presidents carry out the function of State Auditor General as authorised by the President of the Court of Audit.
The Court of Audit each year submits to the National Assembly its annual report concerning its past activities.