Internal Audit

The internal audit aims to prevent activities incompatible with the status and the work of the BIS. Furthermore, the goal of internal audit activities is to make sure that the security of the BIS is not jeopardized, to prevent abuse and leaks of information, to expose violations of internal regulations, and to draw attention to potential shortcomings and mistakes in the use of the material, technological and administrative tools the Service has at its disposal. The three following departments reporting directly to the BIS Director play an important role in internal audit activities: the Inspection Department, the Department of Internal Security and the Internal Audit Group.

The BIS oversight mechanisms stem from the following three key aspects:

• clearly defined responsibility of senior officers
• the powers of authorized departments to independently and regularly oversee certain areas
• the decentralization of intelligence activities performed by several independent entities - decentralization applying also to the evaluation and archiving of information and data prevents potential misuse of tools available to the Service

Oversight focuses on the legitimacy of intelligence activities, on the observation of internal regulations, on the allocation of funds and on the use of material and technological tools the Service has at its disposal.

Internal oversight mechanisms are a dynamic system adjusted to internal and external conditions. Oversight aims not only to identify mistakes and shortcomings, but also to prevent them.