On Wednesday (November 9), the secretary-general of INTOSAI and president of the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Austria, Margit Kraker, and the auditor-general of the United Arab Emirates and leader of the INTOSAI Global Specialist Group, Harib Saeed Al Amimi, were honored with the Grand Medal of Merit of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU).  The award — the highest commendation of the Brazilian Court of Accounts — is given to national or foreign personalities for their merits or contribution to external control. The award ceremony took place at the Itamaraty Palace, in Rio de Janeiro, during a cocktail party for the heads of delegations participating in the XXIV International Congress of Supreme Audit Institutions (INCOSAI).

"Since the creation of the commendation, only four personalities from outside Brazil have been honored. Today I am pleased to award the Grand Medal of Merit to two more honorees," observed the president of the TCU, Bruno Dantas, in his speech. "This is the Federal Court of Accounts' way of recognizing them for the excellent services rendered to the external control and to the supreme audit institutions," he added.

At the ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Alberto Franco França, reinforced his support for Brazil's presidency of INTOSAI. "We are proud to support the dialogue of the Brazilian Court of Accounts with its peers from all regions. Undoubtedly, this extensive international agenda will help implement one of the main objectives of the court's presidency: to strengthen the global voice of INTOSAI," he said. his opinion, "the exchanges held during the meeting will help strengthen good governance and foster sustainable development, priority issues for both INTOSAI and the TCU”.

Honorees 

Margit Kraker holds a Ph.D. in Law Studies, working in the public and private sectors. Since 2014, she has been a member of the Management Committee of the European Organization of Regional Audit Institutions (EURORAI). In July 2016, he became President of the Austrian Court of Audit and Secretary General of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). 

"Her performance at the head of the Austrian Court of Audit, an institution that plays a prominent role among international organizations that deal with external control, and her leadership as secretary-general of INTOSAI, contribute in various ways to the control institutions to continue always advancing in the improvement of their actions. It has been of enormous value that we can count on her talent, commitment and dedication," said Minister Bruno Dantas.

Harib Saeed Al Amimi has an extensive career dedicated to the improvement of external control. In 2007, he was selected for the position of President of the UAE Supreme Audit Institution. In 2013, he became vice president of INTOSAI. In 2016, he organized the XXII INCOSAI and was appointed president of the organization, a position he held from 2017 to 2019. In 2019, he became chairman of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption for two years, and in 2020 he became the leader of INTOSAI's Global Specialist Group.

“As president of INTOSAI, his actions focused on the integration of the higher control entities and the modernization of auditing standards were remarkable. Therefore, it is fair to highlight how important his work was, and continues to be essential to the evolution of the institutions that make up INTOSAI with the continuity of his leadership in various strategic projects for our community”, said Dantas.

The recipients are chosen in a special session by the Grand Medal Council. The group is comprised of the president, the vice-president, and other senior ministers of the TCU. The award's validation is provided through a diploma prepared in special paper by the Casa da Moeda do Brasil, issued by the Chancellor of the Insignia, the president of the TCU.

The medal consists of a star with five arms, enameled in green and yellow, seated on golden rays, in the shape of a radiance. In the center, on the obverse side, there is a blue enameled circle with the Court’s Symbol and the legend in Portuguese "Tribunal de Contas da União – 7 de novembro de 1890", the date the TCU was founded. On the reverse side, there is a golden circle with the Arms of the Republic. The design of the Grand Medal is by TCU's Marcello Augusto Cardoso dos Santos.

In previous years, personalities such as playwright Ariano Suassuna, actress Fernanda Montenegro and architect Oscar Niemeyer have been honored. Click here to see gallery of personalities that have been honored with the TCU's Grand Medal of Merit.

Participations 

TCU Ministers Walton Alencar Rodrigues, Augusto Nardes, Aroldo Cedraz, Jorge Oliveira e Antonio Anastasia, the Prosecutor General of the Federal Court of Accounts, Cristina Machado da Costa e Silva, and prosecutors Paulo Soares Bugarin, Sérgio Caribé e Rodrigo Medeiros also took part in the ceremony.