Simkovicova: Audit Revealed Serious Wrongdoings in Bibiana's 2023 Management (2)

Bratislava, November 18 (TASR) - The former management of the Bibiana International House of Culture for Children, headed by director Zuzana Liptakova, conducted serious wrongdoings that put the very existence of the institution as well as its flagship event the Bratislava Biennial of Illustrations (BIB) in jeopardy, Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (SNS nominee) and Bibiana director Petra Flach declared at a press conference on Monday. Simkovicova cited the results of a ministerial audit in support of this claim. "I must say that the audit results are shocking, which is the conclusion reached by the auditors as well," said the minister. "One of the findings was, for instance, that money for working visits had been paid to people who had no employment at Bibiana, they were neither employees nor temp workers." Flach pointed out that the audit discovered 24 serious shortcomings in the institution's 2023 management, including a lack of financial supervision. "The way this worked was that if an employee wanted to put in an order for something, he or she went ahead and ordered it. There was no need to seek approval from anyone; no one looked into whether the procurement was justified or financially covered," she claimed. The shortcomings also concerned the absence of internal regulations or the failure to update them, the unauthorised use of resources and violations of public procurement law. Flach underlined that her management is carrying out remedial measures. "We're updating internal regulations and introducing strict supervision that goes even beyond the scope required by public institutions," she said. BIB general secretary Zuzana Jarosova conceded that the activities of former director caused not only "the destruction of Bibiana's departments but also chaos in the organisation of its flagship event". "This led to the point at which the organisation of BIB's 29th year was in direct peril, the first time that such a thing has occurred in more than 50 years of the exhibition's history," said Jarosova, hinting that there were also attempts by the former management to infuse the institution with a political ideology. mf/df