§ 2002 — Qualifications of chief internal auditor

(a) The chief executive officer of each designated State agency shall appoint a chief internal auditor with a bachelor's degree, who is either: (1) a certified internal auditor by examination or a certified public accountant and who has at least 4 years of progressively responsible professional auditing experience; or (2) an auditor with at least 5 years of progressively responsible professional auditing experience. (b) The chief internal auditor shall report directly to the chief executive officer and shall have direct communications with the chief executive officer and the governing board, if applicable, in the exercise of auditing activities. All chief internal auditors and all full-time members of an internal audit staff shall be free of all operational duties. (c) The chief internal auditor shall serve a 5-year term beginning on the date of the appointment. A chief internal auditor may be removed only for cause after a hearing before the Executive Ethics Commission concerning the removal. Any chief internal auditor who is appointed to replace a removed chief internal auditor may serve only until the expiration of the term of the removed chief internal auditor. The annual salary of a chief internal auditor cannot be diminished during the term of the chief internal auditor. (Source: P.A. 96-795, eff. 7-1-10 (see Section 5 of P.A. 96-793 for the effective date of changes made by P.A. 96-795) .)