Auditor General’s 2013 report submitted to National Assembly

by in Guyana, News

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Georgetown : Auditor General Deodat Sharma handed over his report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman at Parliament Building yesterday. The report is on public accounts for Government Ministries.

The report is in keeping with Government’s commitment to ensure transparent and democratic governance and is testimony to the transparency and accountability which have developed over the years in relation to the public accounts of Guyana. The report includes Government’s spending for its various Ministries and agencies.

Before, the Office of the Auditor General was reformed; the report was formally handed to the Minister of Finance. Now under new constitutional arrangements; it is delivered to the Speaker of the National Assembly who takes charge of it.
The report is then sent to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is headed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Carl Greenidge, after which it is scrutinised and then presented to Parliament.

Under this new process, the PAC has the authority to summon Ministers and other officials to provide explanations and information should they find discrepancies in the utilisation of public funds, following which corrective actions are taken.

The Audit Office has undergone significant changes over the years to strengthen its capacity to ensure improved auditing. This was supported by the International Development Bank (IDB), Canada and India with contributions that assisted the office to maintain its commitment to transparency.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Auditor General is observing its 130th year of existence. The Office has since seen the appointment of three Auditor Generals posted at a variety of locations before the current one in High Street, Kingston where Sharma heads the entity.

Plans for the future, include improving the services of the office through the use of information technology and the assistance of the IDB is being sought in this regard.