Internal audit whose aim is to provide planning and performing public administration activities in accordance with objectives and policies, development plan, programs, strategic plans, performance programs and legislation; the efficient and economical use of sources; reliability and timely availability of information entered into the Turkish Public Administration with the Public Financial Management and Control Law number 5018 that was published in the Official Gazette on 24.12.2003 with the number 25326.

The raison d’être (reason for being) of internal audit activities is to determine the internal control and risk management of the institution and the effectiveness of general management process, in other words, to determine whether these systems operate in the foreseen way or not and to guarantee the concerned parties about the reaching target results by providing the removal of negations if any.

Different properties and features of the internal audit function which don’t take part in our present understanding and practice of audit:

·         Internal audit if fulfilled by certified internal auditors.

·         Internal audit is risk-oriented; high risk fields are given auditing priority.

·         It is systematic and continuous and is not carried out whenever assigned but within three-year plans and annual programs.

·         It not only includes legality and financial audits, but also system checks, performance audits and information technology audits.

·         Continuous education and professional development is obligatory.

·         The certificates that were given to internal auditors on the date they were assigned are graded in three year periods according to their works.

·         There are international labor and reporting standards.

·         There are international professional ethics.

·         There is a central board (Internal Audit Coordination Board) which runs services for the coordination and harmonization of internal audit systems of public administrations.