Auditor-general’s office on a downward spiral

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Monday 25th March 2013

 I URGE relevant autho­rities, including the Om­buds­man Commission and Task Force Sweep, to investigate the auditor-general’s office.

The people must be assured that everything was done according to the book.

If the auditor-general was not sworn into office, what is the legality of the decisions that he has made to date? 

I find it incredible that he has not been sworn in since his appointment early last year.

Is the incumbent AG a fit and proper person to head such an important office during this critical time of the country’s de­velopment with so much public funds being committed for development by the government?

As we read in the papers a few weeks back, the annual audit reports for 2010, 2011 and 2012 are still outstanding. 

An additional K5 million was allocated to the AG’s office for DSIP audits covering several years and we need assurance that the auditor-gene­ral is on cour­se to provide a comprehensive coverage and overall quality of the DSIP audit reports. 

The initiative by justice minister (The National, March 4) on tackling corruption and involving key central agencies made no mention of the AG’s in­volvement – a shocking omission of an important accountability institution.

The AG spoke about the shift of focus of their audits from financial to performance audits but not a single performance audit report has released.

The questions about the AG’s appointment and swearing-in and that of the senior management staff in the office without due regard for established practices only raise doubts about the AG’s ability to produce timely audit reports on the proper use of the public money and the state of accountability in the country. 

 

Anti-corruption Advocate

Port Moresby