Nicaragua
Ley de Administración Financiera y del Régimen Presupuestario (Ley 550/2005) y Ley Orgánica de la Contraloría General de la República (Ley 681/2009)
Ley 550/2005; Ley 681/2009 CGR; Ley 737/2010 Contrataciones; Ley 621/2007 LAIP; Ley 438/2002 Probidad; Const. 1987/2014 Arts. 154-157
Nicaragua's national fiscal transparency framework is anchored by Ley 550/2005 (Ley de Administración Financiera y del Régimen Presupuestario), which establishes MHCP as the central fiscal authority and mandates quarterly budget execution reporting via SIGFA. The CGR Superior Council is elected by the Asamblea Nacional by a 60% qualified majority (Ley 681/2009 Art. 5). On paper, Nicaragua's statutory framework scores 66/100; in practice, the framework is severely constrained by authoritarian governance (Ortega 2007+, intensified post-2018). OBS 2023 T=44 (well below the 61-point adequacy threshold). CPI 2025: 14/100 (rank 175/182). Downstream display should include a caveat noting the de jure / de facto divergence.
Transparency Requirements
Budget Publicationmax 12 pts
| Budget publication required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Budget published online | ✓ Yes |
| Budget publication timeline | — |
| Machine-readable budget format | No |
| Draft budget required before adoption | ✓ Yes |
Expenditure Disclosuremax 12 pts
| Expenditure disclosure required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Expenditure granularity | department |
| Public expenditure portal required | ✓ Yes |
| Expenditure reporting frequency | quarterly |
Independent Auditmax 12 pts
| Audit required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Auditor independent of entity | ✓ Yes |
| Auditor selection method | elected |
| Audit frequency | annual |
| Audit reports public | ✓ Yes |
| Audit scope | financial performance |
Contract & Procurementmax 10 pts
| Public bidding required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Contract publication required | ✓ Yes |
| Bid award disclosure | ✓ Yes |
| Beneficial ownership disclosure | No |
Debt & Liability Disclosuremax 10 pts
| Debt disclosure required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Pension liability disclosure | No |
| Contingent liability disclosure | ✓ Yes |
| Voter approval required for new debt | No |
Fiscal Reporting Frequencymax 10 pts
| Interim reporting required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Interim reporting frequency | quarterly |
| Year-end report deadline | 180 days after fiscal year |
| Citizens budget required | No |
Enforcement & Oversightmax 10 pts
| Non-compliance penalties | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Fiscal oversight body | No |
| Whistleblower protections | No |
| Legislative budget office | No |
Revenue & Tax Transparencymax 8 pts
| Tax expenditure reporting | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Revenue forecasting required | ✓ Yes |
| Tax rate publication | ✓ Yes |
| Fee schedule publication | ✓ Yes |
Compensation & Payrollmax 8 pts
| Salary disclosure required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Salary disclosure scope | all |
| Pension benefit disclosure | No |
| Overtime reporting | No |
Capital & Asset Disclosuremax 8 pts
| Capital plan required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Asset inventory required | No |
| Surplus asset disposal transparency | No |