The President of the Audit Bureau, Radi Al-Hammadin, emphasized the Bureau's keenness to increase the response rate of entities subject to control across their various spectra and classifications, whether ministries, government departments, independent bodies, official universities, municipalities, or government-owned companies.
Al-Hammadin explained in statements to "Al-Mamlaka" that the Audit Bureau has developed two new supervisory mechanisms, which consisted of changing the audit report previously known as "clarification," and proposing a new report model that allows more space for discussions with entities under supervision regarding audit outputs.
He pointed out that the new report has become a task-specific audit, including a clear scope and a specified duration, resulting in a supervisory output discussed with the entity under supervision, with corrective actions agreed upon in advance based on the recommendations of the Audit Bureau.
Al-Hammadin noted that the response rate increased during 2024 compared to 2023 from 48% to 59%, confirming that this percentage is expected to rise even further during 2025 due to the development of monitoring and supervisory tools.
He emphasized that the primary goal of the Bureau is to prevent the recurrence of violations in the public sector and to enhance a culture of compliance and adherence to effective laws and approved standards, and strategically to the requirements of the general budget, as they are fundamental determinants for the work of entities under supervision.
Al-Hammadin stressed the necessity of entities under supervision adhering to the applicable instructions and regulations, contributing to enhancing integrity and improving institutional performance in the public sector.
The government takes new measures to accelerate response to Audit Bureau observations
On Wednesday, the Minister of State for Prime Minister Affairs, Abdul Latif Al-Najdawi, stated that the team tasked with reviewing the clarifications identified by the Audit Bureau has adopted new measures to expedite the response to all supervisory observations.
Al-Najdawi confirmed that based on the directions of Prime Minister Jaffar Hassan, the team will conduct periodic reviews and increase the response rate to all supervisory observations, linking them to public sector updating procedures, alongside sustaining and enhancing work, and assigning a follow-up team for ministries and institutions; thus contributing to reducing violations in all entities subject to the Audit Bureau’s supervision.
He noted that the team convened today at the Prime Minister’s office, where it discussed the clarifications documented in the months of November and December, totaling 33 clarifications against 22 institutions and entities, confirming that all necessary measures were taken to rectify them and recover all misallocated funds.
He clarified that the clarifications discussed in the team's meeting did not necessitate referring any to the public prosecution or anti-corruption agency, noting that some included allowing and employing foreign labor inappropriately, disbursing bonuses and allowances to workers at the expense of projects without adhering to actual work hours, overlooking the collection of dues for the treasury, and violations in some tenders.
He also mentioned detecting violations concerning the procedures of appointing faculty members in some universities, and paying bonuses and allowances to municipal workers undeservedly.
