Stirnimann has been director of the SFAO since September 1. On Monday, he, who as an auditor at the Bundesamt für Transport had initiated the clarification of the Postbus subsidy affair, took stock for the media in Bern and looked to the future.
The 2023 election year brings a new task for the SFAO with the transparency of political funding. Campaign budgets and donations in excess of CHF 15,000 received before the election must be reported to the SFAO by parties and council members. This must accept, check and publish the reports.
“An important and challenging task,” said Stirnimann. The new political funding regulations are a milestone for Switzerland and also for SFAO. The SFAO had to objectively prepare for all eventualities and set up a system to prevent or uncover abuse.
If SFAO has a reasonable suspicion regarding donation disclosure, it should involve law enforcement, it writes on its website. Those who deliberately violate the disclosure obligation risk a fine of up to CHF 40,000.
Another challenge for SFAO is the unstable environment created by the pandemic and war in Ukraine, which forces agile and flexible working, Stirnimann said. The SFAO is also concerned with demographic change, digital transformation and the shortage of skilled labour.
According to the new director, the SFAO can handle the tasks. “It is well positioned and has a clear legal basis,” he said. It will be a major challenge to find the specialists needed in the labor market, for example in the field of digital transformation.
(SDA)