The FIA has been handed the green light to implement revisions to the statutes that will impose a restriction on the power the audits and ethics committees possess.
Revised guidelines ensure the FIA president – at present Mohammed Ben Sulayem – and the president of its senate will oversee ethical matters rather than the senate.
Meanwhile, the audit committee will no longer retain permission to investigate financial matters independently unless “asked to do so by the president of the Senate”.
The initial proposal received opposition, with MotorsportUK Chairman David Richards claiming that the updates would guarantee the FIA cannot be held accountable.
“The audit committee, in my view, should be completely independent and be able to investigate any issue it wishes within the FIA,” Richards told the BBC.
“The statute change that’s being proposed will stop that, and that’s not good governance.
“Hopefully people will realise that this is not the right direction to take, and that we need to make sure the FIA upholds the very best of sporting governance in the world.”
FIA approve governance changes
However, the changes have been approved at the General Assembly in Rwanda prior to tonight’s FIA Gala to crown the respective champions across its various series.
“First, to preserve and enhance the independence of the ethics committee by reducing the involvement of the FIA administration in its operation,” a statement read.
“The ethics committee previously only reported to the president, it now reports to both the president and the president of the senate.
“The committee now has the powers to independently assess whether or not to launch an investigation.
“Second, as a result of continuous leaks to the media of confidential material, including ethics committee reports, it is now proposed that the distribution of any ethics committee report will be limited.
“This does not prevent either the president or the president of the senate from involving senate members or other members of the FIA or its staff in discussing or implementing any recommendations from the ethics committee.
“Finally, ethics committee reports can often contain material of a confidential nature including criminal or safeguarding issues.
“It was therefore necessary to limit the automatic sharing of this information with multiple members and FIA staff.
“Limiting the distribution of the report will also protect the complainant and individual subject to the investigation.”
FIA explains statute changes
The FIA has argued that the audit committee’s role should be to provide advice to the senate and should thus operate under complete governance of the FIA statutes.
“The aim of the changes is to clarify that the audit committee is an advisory body to the senate and that it shall operate within the limits of the FIA statutes.
“The proposed amendments simply clarify that the audit committee is a support body for the senate and that the internal regulations of the audit committee will, in future, be approved by the senate.
“The audit committee retains its powers to assist and investigate if asked to do so by the president of the senate.”
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